Snippets in Time Season 2
by MistressSpin
Summary: KaraLee fiction based on season two episodes andor deleted scenes. Each fic is stand alone with no continuity with previous or following chapters. Inserted scenes, how things could have gone, and some slightly AU. Spoilers season 1 and 2.
1. Chapter 1

Summary:

What does Lee think about while in the brig? The first time he met Kara, of course. Author's spin on how they met…not based on canon.

SCATTERED

Lee sat alone in his cell; arms covered in blood, wrists still tethered, and wondered how the frak things could go so wrong so fast. He wasn't kidding when he told the President that he'd basically made a stand for nothing.

The closest thing he had to a friend was gone; he'd committed mutiny, his father could be dying and Colonel Tigh was in charge. Things were pretty frakked up all around.

The President was speaking to Billy in low tones about the jump they'd just made. Lee couldn't muster up much caring one way or the other. He was sitting on the edge of the cot in the cell, with his arms propped on his knees and his shoulders were starting to cramp from the restraints. He leaned back against the bars hoping to get comfortable and trying not to think about his father lying in sickbay waiting on Doc Cottle to come and work his magic.

His mind flashed back to CIC and watching Boomer put two rounds into his dad. Next, it moved to Colonial One and holding the gun to Tigh's head. Finally it landed on watching Kara jump away to Caprica, leaving them all behind on her quest to find the Arrow of Apollo for the President.

He focused his thoughts on Kara…it helped keep his worry at bay regarding the fate of his dad. Her leaving had affected him more than he'd wanted to admit. It bothered him that her last significant words to him were 'I'm sorry'. It would have been so simple to just accept her apology and go back to how things were before.

He'd been unable to do it.

All the anger he'd felt at figuring out that she'd slept with the smarmy Vice President was still working its way through his system. And the incredibly stupid part was…he'd had no right to be angry. None. Hindsight was both a blessing and a curse. He'd been jealous…something he couldn't admit to when he was tearing her apart on the hangar deck. Then he'd been hurt and angry that she'd thumbed her nose at protocol and took her plan for the Raider to Tigh, leaving him completely out of the loop. After confronting her and insulting her, he hadn't been expecting her apology and he was still so wrapped up in his own irrational sense of betrayal that he couldn't provide a simple act of forgiveness.

He sighed lightly. Things were never simple with Kara. Ever. Lee flipped over sideways lying down on his side to make his arms more comfortable and shuffled through his memories to the first time he'd met Kara.

He had been on leave and stopped by to visit with his brother who was going through flight school. Zak had been filling Lee's head with tales of his exploits and how, on a bet, he'd asked out his legendary flight instructor. Before Lee could chastise him, he continued his story about how they'd actually hit if off so much that he'd told her about the bet. She had responded by laughing her ass off and telling him she admired the brass ones it took for him to admit that to her.

Lee couldn't fathom how any woman would think it admirable for a guy to ask her out on a bet. But apparently Kara Thrace wasn't like most women. Zak had told him so many wild stories about their continued relationship that Lee was beginning to think his brother was frakking with him. From what Zak said, she could out drink, out fight, and out fly just about everyone. She played a wicked game of Triad, spent lots of time in the brig and, according to Zak, was a slice of heaven sent from the gods. His brother was obviously in love, so Lee chalked up the over-the-top description to his mental state, not actual fact.

He couldn't have been more shocked when he met her.

Lee shifted his position on the cot and grinned in spite of himself, remembering his reaction to Kara the first time he'd laid eyes on her. To say she'd completely knocked him for a loop would be an understatement. He let his mind fill with the image of how they'd first met.

He was late to meet Zak and his now committed girlfriend. Lee still wasn't quite sure what to expect from this Kara Thrace person. He had a very difficult time picturing his brother with the woman he'd been describing. He walked into his brother's favorite hangout just outside the academy campus. Scanning the room, he quickly spotted Zak sitting at a table in the far corner with a huge grin on his face watching the beginnings of an altercation by the billiards tables.

Zak hadn't noticed him, so he started toward the direction of the argument since he'd have to get past it to see his brother. As he got closer he started picking up snatches of the confrontation that had Zak enthralled.

"You're accusing me of cheating?" 

It was a woman's voice, but Lee couldn't see her…there were three big guys blocking his view. He shrugged to himself and kept walking.

"Damn right, I am. Nobody can make that kind of shot and not be cheating."

This was coming from the big guy in the middle.

"I just did." Lee couldn't make out the next part because the woman's voice dropped low. He did hear the next part from the guy again.

"I'd like to see you try."

Lee had almost made it past them. He was right behind the center guy when he noticed him duck down. He had no time to react when a fist shot out and caught him on the cheek, just below his left eye. He could feel the sting and burn from the solid connection as his head snapped back and his arm instinctively drew back and swung forward just as the guy who'd ducked was standing back up. Lee's fist caught him under the chin and the big lug was flung backwards toward the woman who was standing there. She neatly sidestepped and watched the large man fall.

She looked up at Lee then down at the guy lying on the floor. "Well frak." Then she got a look at Lee's swelling cheekbone. "Damn…sorry about that." As she stepped up onto the lump on the floor then off again as she eyed his two friends and nodded down at the heap. "I'd get him out of here, if I were you." She put her hands on her hips and continued. "I won't miss next time."

While she'd been speaking, Lee's hand had traveled up to his cheek and he winced when his fingers came into contact with the broken skin coming away with droplets of blood on his fingertips. He felt a hand on his shoulder and reflexively started to cock his arm back again…until he heard a voice in his ear.

"Lee." Zak stepped around him and stood beside the woman. He grimaced when he caught the damage on Lee's face. "Couldn't have picked a more interesting way for you to meet Kara." He put his arm around the blonde spitfire and drew her close to him. "You two okay?" He looked from one to the other as the silence stretched a little awkwardly.

Too many thoughts went ripping through Lee's head when he realized he'd nearly been laid low by the woman his brother never shut up about. All of Zak's stories came back to him in force…every one of them was true. Lee had no doubt about that now. She was nothing like he'd pictured her. Almost pixie short blonde hair, a beautiful pair of eyes that were frankly assessing him at the moment and a compact frame that looked sleek and curvy all at the same time.

Lee blinked his eyes to make sure he was seeing things correctly. Zak was looking at him expectantly and the woman he now knew as Kara gave him a smirk that pissed him off and made him want to laugh at the same time. He stuck out his non-blood marked hand. "Lee Adama." Her grip was firm and warm when she shook his hand.

Kara was both amused and mortified that she'd just punched the brother of the guy she was going out with. She almost always went with the humor so she said. "Sorry about marking that pretty face of yours." She strode over to the bar and grabbed a napkin, dabbed it in water, stalked back over and gently dabbed at the clotted area on Lee's face.

Lee wasn't expecting the gentle touch…she looked so hard around the edges. He felt as if he were drowning in the sheer force of her presence. He grasped her wrist and took the napkin from her. "Uh…thanks. I can get it from here." She shrugged her shoulders and stepped back.

Zak caught her hand and they ambled toward the table he'd vacated. Lee sat down across from them and tried to wrap his mind around everything that had happened since he'd walked into the bar. His brother had sat and watched while his girlfriend went up against three guys…all bigger than she was…Lee couldn't fathom it and he told Zak so.

Kara had jumped in and asked if it looked like she needed help. Lee wasn't sure how to answer…between the steady throb in his cheek and her aggressive posture he was completely thrown. She said what was on her mind and made no apologies for it. As the evening wore on, he watched their interaction and knew his brother was completely smitten with her.

As for himself, he found that he was both drawn to and repelled by Kara Thrace. She was like no other woman he'd ever met. Definitely not his type, but she seemed to suit Zak. Lee had never seen him so relaxed and happy. In the big picture…that's all that mattered to Lee.

He spent the next couple of leaves with them and developed an easy, if somewhat antagonistic, friendship with Kara. She instinctively knew what buttons to push to get a reaction out of him. He made it his business to learn hers. Rarely did they make it through one of his visits without having a major debate over something. She always, always took counterpoint to his point…even if she agreed with him. Lee found that to be frustrating and exhilarating at the same time.

She was a walking paradox…and definitely not his type. So why did he find himself thinking about her at the oddest moments? Even with his preference for blondes, he couldn't be attracted to her. So why was her image the one he saw every time he sought physical release from a long day of classes and test flights? Alone in his bunk or the shower or the head…it didn't matter where it was…visions of Kara filled his head with exquisite detail. Writhing beneath him, slowly riding over him, on her knees in front of him…every single time, it happened…and every single time, Lee would tell himself never again.

It didn't work and he was wracked with guilt. Finally, he gave up the ghost and just decided that until he had time to go out and meet someone of his own, he'd have to live with having his brother's fiancé as the object of his fantasies. It didn't sit well with him, but he couldn't seem to shake it. As long as he never let Zak know, he'd do his best to live with it.

When Zak called to tell him they were engaged, he was truly happy for his brother. Maybe now he could put the thoughts of her out of his mind. She really wasn't what he wanted, even if she did fill his thoughts. He had to just be jealous of his little brother finding the person and the life he wanted before he did. At least that's what Lee told himself.

Then Zak had died and all thoughts of Kara fled. He was too wrapped in pain, betrayal and bitterness to spare her a thought. He'd unleashed his anger on his father for putting Zak in the position to get killed and he hadn't looked back since. All his thoughts were focused on carving a niche for himself in the military and making a name for himself, so he could walk away from it. All of it…unlike his father.

Lee shifted uncomfortably on the cot. His arms were beginning to tingle and he knew he was going to lose feeling in them soon. He drifted back to receiving his papers to report to the Galactica for it's decommissioning ceremony. That was the very first time he'd considered bucking orders. He didn't want to attend…didn't want to see his father. The only thing that had stopped him was the chance to see Kara. He'd known she was aboard and he hadn't seen her since the funeral.

He'd seen her all right…in the brig. He'd mucked things up and as usual she'd taken counterpoint. Then after he returned from escorting what was left of the fleet to Ragnor he'd thought for a moment that she'd felt what he felt. When she'd dropped her confession on him about Zak, he'd taken a big step back from his feelings. The reminder of Zak was so potent that all his former guilt came back to haunt him and he held himself back from pursuing anything with her.

She was a constant source of frustration and salvation, frustration because she always flouted his authority and salvation because she was his only friend. When they'd almost lost her, Lee didn't take the time to analyze why he been unwilling to give up the search for her. He just knew that he was relieved when she came back to them and they'd grown steadily closer since then. They still pushed each other's buttons, and she was still a pain in the ass, but underneath that was a level of respect that grew more with each passing day.

On Colonial Day, at the celebration for Dr. Baltar's ascent to the Vice Presidency, he'd been blown away when he'd seen her in that blue dress. They'd danced together and the feel of her in his arms was so right, so real that he'd almost asked her for more. What he'd thought was a timely interruption by the Vice President gave him time to pull himself back from the line he'd almost crossed. He had thought he should approach things more slowly…turned out he had been wrong.

Everything had gone steadily downhill since then. And here he was…sitting in a cell with his father's blood slowly drying on his arms. If he had it to do over again…he would have at least accepted her apology. As it stood now…he may never see her again and she'd left feeling he thought she was below contempt.

The hatch swung open and Colonel Tigh entered the brig. He told the guard to open his cell door.

Lee slowly got to his feet and stood before the Colonel, hoping there was news about his dad's condition.

Tigh just scowled at Lee. "Captain. We've got a situation and I'm going to need every single pilot this ship's got." He quickly filled Lee in on the planned jump back to their previous coordinates. "I need your parole." Tigh eyed him speculatively. He was willing to put aside the fact that Lee had held a gun to his head to get back to the fleet. He nodded to the marine guard and had him release Lee's arms from the tethers.

Lee took a moment to think. Tigh in command couldn't be a good thing, but his father needed Doc Cottle's expertise. Lee thought of Kara jumping away to Caprica on a fool's mission to retrieve something that may or may not help them find Earth. He made his decision, foolish though it may be. "All right." He rubbed at his wrists to work the feeling back into them. "You have my parole…"

FIN


	2. Chapter 2

Warnings: Light Angst

Summary:

Kara and Helo take a load off in her Delphi apartment…and the memories roll in. Kara reminisces about the time a bar fight leads to an interesting evening with Lee…

VALLEY OF DARKNESS

Wrapped in her huge leather jacket, a stogie in her hand, Kara sat and let her father's music seep into her. She couldn't believe she found another human on Caprica, frakkin' Helo no less. He made things easier…a face from the past and a good friend, too. It had been harder than she expected…walking through the ruined museum to find the Arrow. Not because of the devastation, but because of the memories.

What she'd told Helo was true. 'Things' didn't matter to her. She was fighting because she didn't know how to do anything else. Being on Caprica brought back the memories, though. A lot of crap had happened in her life. She'd lived through all of it because she didn't give up the fight. Never. There was a time when that had almost gotten her killed.

With Helo sitting across from her, content with their verbal silence and her father's music playing in the background Kara settled back against the couch and let her mind drift back over some of her harder fought battles. The most recent one, her fight with Lee before she jumped to Caprica was still fresh in her head. She shied away from thinking of how hard things always were with them. But the memory was out of the bag and her mind sought the moment things started to get difficult between them. With a small sigh, she let it in and as it washed over her she closed her eyes.

Zak had gone home for the weekend and Kara was bored. She hopped a transport to Picon and decided to spend the weekend on a binge. Things were getting serious with Zak and she figured this would be her last weekend as 'just a girlfriend' if her suspicion about why Zak had gone home proved correct.

Friday night passed without incident. She drank herself into oblivion and caught a cab back to the guest quarters on the Picon base. She woke up Saturday in an edgy mood and it didn't improve throughout the day. The only bright spot was the test flights Picon base was conducting on the new Mark VIIs. Due to her flight instructor status, she was able to watch. As she observed the new Vipers on their test runs, she wondered if Lee was one of the pilots, but didn't bother checking it out. He was probably still on the Atlantia and even if he was one of the pilots…he had no idea she was here. It would be better to leave it that way. She loved Zak…but she was oddly attracted to his brother. It didn't sit well with her.

After the test flights, Kara went back to her temporary quarters, grabbed a quick shower and headed out for the night. She was by herself, at a bar off base getting wasted. The edgy feeling she woke up with was back in full force. She had a feeling it had to do with why she thought Zak had gone home. He'd told her he needed to see his mother but Kara had a sneaking suspicion it was about a ring. If he was planning what she suspected, well…she shook off the thought. She'd wait and see if she was right when Zak returned. Then she'd figure out if she was up for the challenge.

She was working on her fourth shot when a guy approached and struck up a conversation, introducing himself as Max. Kara knew the type…snobby college boy always hanging out with a gang of friends…unless he got lucky. She wasn't in the mood, but spoke to him casually being careful not to express an interest. After downing her shot, she ordered another then excused herself to throw darts.

She was midway through her second round of darts and had just finished her sixth shot, when Max cut in and asked her competitor if he could finish the game. The guy she was playing with, Charlie, took one look at Max…who was about twice his size, nodded to Kara and ducked out of the game. Kara had liked Charlie. He was funny, only interested in throwing darts and their game had made her forget her nervous tension. The edginess returned when Max was back in her personal space. Kara signaled the bartender for two more shots, deciding she'd play things loose until Max pushed her too hard. Then she'd push back.

His gang of friends, in a corner booth, was being loud and raucous. Kara just rolled her eyes and downed another shot. Max's attempts at conversation were rebuffed as she focused on the game. He wasn't very happy that she was all but ignoring him so he upped the ante by trying to distract her when it was her turn. Kara would just smirk or sneer every time he said something to her or about her. She was so used to deflecting insults it didn't even faze her.

What did faze her was someone grabbing her from behind and putting their hands anyplace on her body. What sent her round the bend was when their hands ended up on the front of her just below her shoulders. Kara was well on her way to being wasted but when Max's hands ended up in the vicinity of her breasts, it didn't take her two seconds to respond. Rearing her head back, she cracked him just under his chin then grabbed one of his hands and flipped him over. Stepping back she looked down at him and yelled. "Come on. Get up." With upturned hands, she made a 'come get me' motion then loosened her stance when Max started to rise.

She was so focused on him and still seeing red that she didn't notice his friends coming in their direction. Before Max was even standing, she punched him in the face and sent him sprawling. "You think it's all right to just grab what you want?" Keyed up and spoiling for more, she grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. "Never had anyone fight back?" Not waiting for an answer, her fist found his gut. She didn't even wince from hitting solid muscle just waited for him to make a move.

It took Max a dazed minute to realize he wasn't dealing with some college bound bimbo, but a warrior. In his mind it let him off the hook for what he was about to do. He stood up straight, noticed his back up on the way and took a swing connecting with her chin. "Bitch…you just bought yourself a whole lotta trouble." He wasn't expecting Kara to recover as quickly as she did.

Kara felt the blow as her head snapped back, but she'd been hit harder in sparring matches. Her lips curved upward in a scary smile. "Bring it on, asshole." Her hands were curving up into fists when she noticed his pack of buddies on their way over. She paused a moment, then heaved out a breath. Throwing a look to Max, she said. "Right. Five on one…no problem." Then she sneered at him, took off at a run and drove her shoulder into his midsection sending him back into the wall. He slumped to the floor and stayed down.

Kara turned and swung at the guy closest to her and the fight was on. She was so wrapped up in knocking heads together and trying to dodge fists she missed the fact that the patrons were gathering around to witness the spectacle. She totally didn't notice another person approach and lean against the wall near the dartboard.

Lee was well on his way to being toasted. He'd met up with the test pilots at another bar and they had bought a round each…totaling five in all. He'd only ducked into this place because he wasn't keen on heading home just yet. Imagine his surprise when after ordering a double shot he looked up to see his brother's girlfriend ramming her head into the guy standing behind her. He didn't doubt she could handle herself, but after quickly scanning the bar and seeing the foursome headed in her direction, he made his way through the growing crowd to lean against the wall, drink in hand.

It really pissed him off that five guys were trying to beat on a woman, but Zak had told him enough about Kara that he knew to wait it out. She was putting up a good fight but he could see her growing weary. When she was finally turned in his direction, he lifted two fingers in a salute. "Hey Kara, having fun?" He looked nonchalant, but he was anything but. Even halfway blasted his eyes were taking in the position of her opponents.

Kara didn't know if she should be pissed or throw her arms around him. Grabbing the collar of one of Max's friends she acknowledged him. "Lee…fancy meeting you here." She tossed the guy in the direction of a table and he stayed down.

Lee stood up when another friend grabbed Kara by the legs and sent her sprawling. Downing his shot, he sat the glass on another table and walked toward the fracas. "Where's Zak." He didn't join…just kept the other two idiots in his line of sight.

Kara was scooping herself up off the floor. "At your mom's." Brushing off her jeans, she added. "I'm flying solo tonight." Saying that did two things…it let Lee know Zak wasn't there for back up and told him how the fight got started.

He didn't get a chance to respond as Max and one of his friends was getting back up. Kara spun around and with a well-placed kick, sent Max sprawling again.

Kara put her back to the wall and faced the remaining three guys. Knowing Lee was there helped invigorate her energy. "What are you doing on Picon?" She watched as all three started advancing wondering if they were too drunk to realize she was having a conversation with someone or just didn't care.

Lee swung around behind the guys and slowly followed their progress. He glanced at Kara. "Test flights on base." He kept the answer short as Kara was being backed into a corner.

Kara realized her mistake as Max's friends cut off any angle for her to escape. She continued to back up and resumed talking to Lee. "Yeah…watched 'em earlier. Great flying." She was as far back as she could go so she went for it. Throwing a punch and connecting, she ducked and looked up at Lee. "Little help here?" As she stood back up a fist connected with her jaw and her head smacked back against the wall. She saw stars but shook it off.

Lee sucked in a breath but she looked okay. Keeping it light, he said. "Thought you'd never ask." Then he stepped into the fray, grabbing one of the guys and spinning him around to meet his fist. As the guy went down, Lee was grabbed by the arm and Max got a solid punch in, splitting Lee's lip in the process. Lee landed his own jab and knocked Max across the bar, feeling not just a little satisfaction with laying the guy out.

He made his way over to Kara and with their backs together; they slowly made their way out of the bar. Only two of Max's friends made an attempt to get to them but the crowd more or less swallowed them up as Lee and Kara stumbled out the door.

Once outside, Kara leaned up against the exterior slowly sliding down until she was crouched close to the sidewalk. She was still seeing stars and figured she hit her head harder than she thought. Looking over at Lee, she saw two of him but attributed that to the alcohol. She let out a giggle that ended on a groan.

Lee sucked in the cool night air then turned to check on Kara. She had a big purple bruise along her cheekbone that was going to look really lovely tomorrow. He used his thumb to wipe the blood off his lip. "Well, that was fun." When he heard her groan, he stooped down to check on her.

Kara's head was swimming and she heard Lee talking to her, but he sounded very far away. He was saying something about fun, so Kara responded with a quip. "Glad I could show you…" She lost her train of thought and his face swam out of focus. "Show you…" She remembered what she was trying to say. "A good…" The world went black as she went limp, sagging against Lee.

Frak. Zak would kill him if anything happened to Kara. He tilted her head up, saying her name. "Kara…hey, come on." He felt around her skull and found the nasty bump on the back of her head. "Kara." He patted her face lightly. "Stay with me here…Kara." He let a relieved breath when she moaned and opened her eyes.

Kara was looking up at Zak's brother, wondering why he was inches away from her face. "What the frak, Lee." She shoved away from him before she realized he was holding her up.

Lee tightened his arms around her not letting her hit the ground. "Kara. Stop." He sat her back against the building and leaned back giving her some breathing room. "You've got a nasty bump on the back of your head…take it easy." He stood and she went to do the same.

Her body aching like a big bruise, Kara used the building for support as she slowly inched her way up. She smiled ruefully. "Sorry 'bout that." Her head started to swim again and she reached out for Lee, who wrapped his arm around her holding her upright. "Damn Lee…what the hell is wrong with me?" She put her arm around his waist and forced her feet forward.

Lee held her close to his body, providing support. "We should get that bump checked out." When he went to make a turn at the corner of the block, Kara stopped suddenly and their feet got tangled up nearly dragging them down.

Lee's quick thinking kept them from hitting the pavement, but they staggered and bumped into the building next to them. Kara ended up sprawled against him with his arms holding her up. "What the hell, Kara?" He pulled her upright and looked directly at her.

Kara knew Lee wanted her to go the hospital. She hated hospitals. "I don't need this bump checked out. I'm fine, Lee." She forced herself to stand upright on her own. "See. No problems." She walked two steps and stopped as pinpricks of light were swimming behind her eyes.

Lee walked up beside her. "Okay…no hospitals." Carefully draping an arm around her shoulders, he started a slow walk down the sidewalk. "I've got a place about three blocks up." Glancing down to make sure she was still with him, he continued. "You at least need some ice on that." He let out another relieved sigh when he felt her nod against his shoulder.

Lee got his door unlocked on the second try with Kara laughing at his less than dexterous ability. He pushed open the door and let her precede him into the small space he called his own. It was simple, neat and pristine. Lee didn't spend much time there, he was usually on the Atlantia, but he kept a place because he was a test pilot and he hated the quarters on the base.

Hanging his keys on a hook by the door, Lee nodded toward the sofa. "Why don't you have a seat?" He entered the small kitchen area and grabbed a towel. "I'll get some ice for that bump." He opened the freezer and scooped out some ice wrapping it up in the towel.

As Kara slowly made her way to the sofa she caught a look at herself in a mirror and grimaced. Her cheekbone was swollen and had a massive purple bruise on it. She couldn't wait to explain this one to Zak. She sank down on the couch and rested her head against the cushions looking up at the scrolling pattern on the ceiling of Lee's apartment. The scrolls looked like they were in motion so she closed her eyes against the rolling patterns and let out a sigh. Ah gods, how did she get herself into these messes?

Lee sat beside Kara and touched her shoulder gently. "Here's the ice." He slid it under her head when she lifted it up off the cushions. "I brought a wet rag too. You have some small abrasions that should be cleaned up." He handed her the cloth and watched as she put it up to her face.

Kara gingerly touched the rag to her cheek hissing in a breath at the burn of the contact. She dabbed it across the puffy area on the bone then swiped it over her chin. She must have scraped it on something but she'd be damned if she could remember what.

Lee took the rag from her. "You missed a spot." He ran the wet cloth over an abrasion at her jaw line.

Kara's skin tingled at the brush of Lee's fingers but she told herself it was because she was half wasted. Her eyes took in the blood from his split lip. "Uh…you're not in the best shape yourself." Snagging the cloth from him, she dabbed it at the corner of his lip wiping away the dried blood. Her lips turned up in a small reflective smile. "Not one of my better nights, tonight." Satisfied she'd cleaned up Lee's lip, she leaned back and noticed his eye was darkening. "Ouch. Your eye is gonna hurt tomorrow. Did I say thank you yet?" She handed the cloth back to him, reached behind her for the makeshift ice pack and sat up straighter.

Lee's body responded to having her hands on him. Embarrassed by his reaction to his brother's girlfriend, he stood up and headed for the kitchen, saying. "Not necessary. I'm kind of glad I was there." He rinsed the cloth and draped it over the faucet to dry then back in control, made his way back into the lounge area. "How's the head?" She had leaned back against the cushions resting her head on the ice.

Kara lifted her head and felt for the bump. "Ice is working, the bump's already smaller." She turned to look at him standing next to the couch. "You can sit, Lee. I'm not gonna pass out again…at least not from the bump on my head." The adrenaline was wearing off and her drunken state was returning. She felt almost giddy.

Even though it put him in close proximity to her, Lee was actually grateful to sit. He sank down beside her and leaned his head back against the cushions. Turning to look at her, the question begged. "What happened?" He'd already worked out most of it but the thought of her taking on five guys without Zak as backup freaked him out.

Kara shrugged her shoulders. "Minding my own business, throwing darts and Mad Max decided he didn't like being ignored." She closed her eyes realizing how lucky she was that Lee had been there. "He got a little too friendly and I was already in a bad mood." She glanced over at Lee who was staring at her intently. "Bit off a little more than I could chew, though. Didn't I?" Her face wore her 'it happens' expression that Lee was becoming all too familiar with.

Lee knew it wouldn't do any good to chastise her. He changed topics. "So Zak's at home? With mom?" He'd spoken to his mother earlier in the week and she hadn't mentioned Zak coming home. It made him wonder what was going on.

Kara nodded. "I think he was using her as an excuse to go to Caprica." After an internal debate, she decided to continue. "He's not just going home to see her." Her gut was never wrong…and it was telling her there was much more to Zak heading to Caprica.

Lee sat up ready to leap to his brother's defense. "You don't think he's cheating, do you?" He didn't let her answer. "Zak doesn't cheat." His brother was over the moon in love with Kara…and sometimes Lee could actually see why he was. She had been a force to be reckoned with in that bar tonight.

Kara's lips turned up in a crooked smile. "Relax Lee. I know he's not cheating." She rolled her eyes for emphasis. "Always jumping to conclusions, aren't you?" Lee's analytical brain did him in sometimes. It rankled her that she was attracted to him on some weird level. They had nothing in common but flying, yet she was drawn to him even while she loved his brother. Shaking her head, she decided she needed to get over the attraction right now.

Misinterpreting her sudden headshake, Lee said. "You know he loves you, right?" He leaned back against the cushions again. "More than life." For some reason it was hard for Lee to get those words out. And it had nothing to do with the alcohol he'd consumed.

Kara looked back up at the ceiling. "I know he does. And I think that's why he went home." She clasped her fingers together twisting them as she spoke. She suddenly blurted. "I think he's going to propose when he gets back." There. She'd said it out loud and the world hadn't ended.

Lee was pole axed. He hadn't been expecting that and was surprised that it shook him a little. He proceeded with caution. "You think Zak's going to propose?" He should be ecstatic for his brother, but he found himself sadly lacking the emotion.

Kara sat up, catching the look on Lee's face. "You're surprised?" She knew she was when she let herself think about it and she told Lee so. "I know I am and I could be wrong about why he went home but I don't think I am." She shook her head in befuddlement. Why in the hell was she talking to Lee about this? Was it to protect herself…him…and from what…her weird fascination with him. It was nerves…it had to be. Or the alcohol.

She glanced over at Lee, slouched down on the couch with his feet up on the glass table in front of him. Forgetting for a moment that he was Zak's brother, she admired him taking note of his lean build with muscles in the right places. His eyes were closed, but she already knew they could hold a range of emotions…she'd been drawn to his eyes before anything else. If she'd met him before Zak she doubted anyone could have pried her away from his side…at least not until she had him figured out.

He was charming, funny, confident and very internal. He rarely showed his witty side, but when he did he could make a person laugh until they ached. And his intelligence floored her sometimes. Lee had a mind like a steel trap…once it closed in on something it didn't let it go until every detail was committed to memory. She found that incredibly sexy. He could also lay a person low with very few well-chosen words. He didn't suffer fools gladly and held nothing back when he thought he was right. She took pride in winding him up just to watch him in action. He was magnificent when he set out to make a point. And he could fly like no one else.

Kara jerked herself out of her thoughts. She was feeling the effects of the alcohol and being in the proximity of a tremendously attractive man. Her mind was wandering into dangerous territory and she needed to stop herself before she did something she'd regret.

Lee was trying to work through his feelings about Zak proposing to Kara. It shouldn't bother him…his brother was a lucky man. Kara was a vibrant, humorous, self-assured woman who had more passion than anyone, male or female, he'd ever met. Her instincts were razor sharp and dead on. She faced things with a sure confidence and tackled problems with a gusto he envied. He surprised himself by finding that insanely attractive. She fought for what she believed in, wouldn't take crap from anyone and would go to the mat if she thought she was right. He thoroughly enjoyed setting her off with a random comment and watching her tear the place up with her fierce defense of something. She was amazing to behold. And in the air…she was unmatched…she was born to fly.

Startling himself with his line of thought, he shot a look at her to find her gazing at him intently. Gods he could get lost in her eyes…they were mesmerizing. He stared back at her losing himself a little, finally acknowledging to himself that he wanted something he couldn't have.

Lee holds the thought close then lets it go. "So…married." He turned toward her, shifting his position so he was almost lying on his side. "It's a big step." He'd figure out a way to be happy for his little brother if he did propose to Kara. He'd be happy for her, too.

Kara kept her gaze on Lee a moment longer then nodded. "Tell me about it." She was starting to freak out a little…she never thought anyone would want her 'forever'. Didn't think she'd ever be worthy. "I'm scared." She was terrified.

Lee's eyes grew wide. "Of Zak?" She couldn't be scared of Zak…he worshipped her.

Kara shook her head back and forth. "Of myself…of screwing it up…" She sighed deeply. "I don't know if I can do forever. Hell, I'm still attracted to other guys." Like the one right next to me, she thought as she turned toward him.

Lee didn't know what to say…so he said nothing.

Kara moved forward until her face was inches from his. "I'm attracted to you." Her eyes were intent on his.

And there it was…out in the open. The air became charged between them.

Neither fought the magnetic pull that drew them together. Heads drifting slowly closer, gazes locked, their lips met…tentatively at first, then with a hunger that threatened to consume them both. Exchanging heated kisses, they tore at each other's clothing with frantic movements trying to remove it with haste. Lee's shirt was dragged over his head and thrown across the room and Kara's was pulled open losing a couple of buttons as they popped to the floor. Lips met skin while Lee's pants were pushed down until they could be kicked off to land on the floor. Kara's jeans were quickly undone and tugged down her hips, followed by a burning trail of kisses.

Lee lost his ability to think rationally as he fought with Kara's jeans and finally won the battle. After tossing them behind him, he dragged his lips back up her body stopping to shove her bra out of his way so he could tease her breasts with his tongue. He tasted one peak drawing it into his mouth and swirling his tongue around the nipple until she groaned. He switched to its mate and did the same until he felt her hands in his hair tugging him upwards to meet his lips in a hot kiss that melted his brain. She was everything he'd ever imagined and more.

Kara's body was on fire and writhing under Lee's. Grabbing his head, she wrapped her leg around his body drawing him closer to her so she could feel his lips against hers. Her breath coming in rapid bursts, she broke from the kiss and moved to his shoulder running a wet trail with her tongue to his neck. She moved her lips over the corded muscle and couldn't resist sucking the skin between her lips then grazing her teeth over the mark she left. Her thoughts were all jumbled as she dragged her lips back to his and slid her tongue in his mouth. He was heat and flame and a lot more than she had bargained for.

Lee shifted to the side and moved his hands over her body memorizing the swells and curves. Reaching her thigh his fingers detoured to slide into her warm wet center drawing long moans from them both. His lips found her throat and as he tasted her skin his fingers found the nub of nerves that had her bucking up into his hand. Moving his lips to her mouth he teased it open so he could thoroughly explore its depths, as he felt himself slide deeper under her spell.

As Kara responded to Lee's expert touch, her hand wrapped around his shaft and he groaned into her mouth. Moving over his cock with a soft, but firm touch she literally felt him swell against her hand. The heat between them soared as they continued their pleasurable spiral out of control. Pulling Lee over her, she was aching for him as her lips caught his in another kiss. She opened her eyes to a sea of blue and a moment of clarity hit her.

As Lee was poised to enter her, she sucked in a breath making him tense and freeze his position. Breathing hard, her voice ragged, Kara cried. "We can't…can't do this, Lee." She closed her eyes, her body in agony needing the release it craved.

Lee blew out a hard breath then drew away from her. "Frraaak Kara." His breath hissed out and he winced, the pain physical, mental. "Right. You're right." His body was throbbing and he literally ached to have her. But losing his brother wasn't worth it. He was backing up when her hands grabbed his head and drew it down to her lips. "Kara. No." But she was already in motion, sliding out from under him and trading positions with him.

Kara's body couldn't fight the pull between them. She straddled Lee's hips, kissing him again as she moved up against his cock. "We need the release." She tried to explain but couldn't find the words so she let her body do the talking. "Understand?" Before he could answer, she kissed him again continuing to move her hips.

Lee's eyes closed against the feeling of her slick folds moving over him, the slippery wetness easing her movements and making it hard for him to breathe. He opened his eyes to her searching gaze and his head jerked in a nod. "Release." His breath rasped out with relief. "That's all." Moving his hands to her hips he helped guide her movements until they were both close to the edge.

A slow burn started low in her belly spreading outward to her limbs. Gliding along the length of Lee, the friction against her clit was spinning her out of control. She looked down as Lee's head thrashed against the cushions and knew he was as close as she to sliding into oblivion. Bracing her hands against his chest she circled her hips over his cock and it sent her over the edge. With her head tossed back she came against him just shuddering with intensity.

Witnessing Kara in the throes of orgasm sent Lee out of orbit. His release burst through him and he called her name as their bodies quaked together. He pulled her to him and kissed her soundly, knowing that she would never be his. His heart held the secret knowledge that he loved her and neither she nor Zak would ever know his feelings.

Kara hated herself, as she lay sprawled against Lee. She'd just had the hottest sex of her life and they hadn't actually even frakked. Her feelings were conflicted and confused regarding what she'd just done as she could have stopped it at any time. Lee would have heeded her decision and that would have been the end of it. But she couldn't do it…had to know if what drew her to him would ruin her love for Zak. She flinched inwardly. She loved Zak, she truly did. But she had a feeling she could love his brother also. It was frakked up…they had frakked up.

Lifting her head slightly, her heart heavy, she whispered. "We cheated on Zak." She fought back tears as the weight of what they'd done settled around her. When Lee nodded, acknowledging her words, she said them out loud again. "We cheated on Zak." She sat up and moved to the edge of the couch fixing her bra while looking for the rest of her clothes.

Zak couldn't find out about this…about how far his brother had fallen. It would kill all three of them and Lee wouldn't do that to his brother. He sat up and stilled Kara's movements with his hands waiting until she looked at him. "Zak can't know about this. We can't tell him what we did." His eyes searched her face for some kind of sign that she wanted it any other way. It was like a punch to the gut when the pain creeped into her eyes. "Kara, he doesn't have to know." When she just nodded, fighting back more tears, Lee suggested she grab a shower.

He gathered up their clothes, folding hers neatly and sitting them outside the bathroom door. Tossing his in the laundry bin, he pulled out fresh clothes grabbing an extra shirt to replace Kara's ruined one. He dressed on autopilot and walked out of his bedroom just as Kara was opening the bathroom door wrapped in a towel. Their gazes locked in a guilty exchange before Lee handed over the shirt he'd brought out for her.

When she emerged from the bath, Lee was hovering outside wanting to get a look at her injured cheekbone. He was kicking himself for not even thinking about it while they were in the throes of passion. She shrugged off his concern and asked for something to drink.

Kara could barely breathe past the lump in her throat and she drained the glass of cold water that was pressed into her hands. Still unsure of how she felt, she cleared her throat to speak. "Lee…" She had no clue what to say to him, wasn't sure how he felt or how she felt for that matter.

Lee watched her struggle and made a choice. It broke his heart but he plunged forward. "Look Kara, what we did was stupid." He watched her flinch at his words. "Blame it on the alcohol, the bump on your head, whatever…it shouldn't have happened." Swallowing hard, he forced himself to go on. "And it won't happen again." As he watched her eyes close, he braced himself for her response.

Kara fought against the feeling of hurt his words caused. She shouldn't be wounded…he was telling her what she wanted to hear. "Right. Stupid." He didn't care about her…didn't love her. She was off the hook. "And Zak doesn't need to know?" The guilt would ease and she'd be able to live with it. "This won't touch him?" Frak. Why did her heart hurt?

Lee nodded. "It won't touch Zak." He made himself say. "Not by me. I love him, too." When her shoulders slumped in relief, he knew he'd made the right choice. His brother would be happy and so would she.

They left the apartment and Lee walked her back to the base. She had only seen him two more times before Zak died and while the first meeting was awkward, by the second they had fallen back into their easy camaraderie. And even though there were constant undertones bubbling under the surface, they both managed to ignore them…or shove them down to a manageable level.

At least she'd thought they had. All that changed the day after Colonial Day when Lee found out about her ill-fated frak with Baltar. She would rather remember the feeling she had when they had cheated on Zak than the feeling she had when she realized how hurt and angry Lee was about Baltar. If only he knew whose name she cried out that night. But he didn't and right now she couldn't tell him.

The music was ending and Helo was watching her expectantly. Reaching into her pocket, she fished around until her fingers found what they were searching for. She pulled out a set of keys and with a grin on her face she asked Helo. "Tired of walking?" The keys jingled as his face lit up and Kara realized she did have a purpose.

They made their way to the garage and not even Helo's glee at seeing her ride kept her from losing focus. Tossing the arrow in, she glanced at him then started the Hummer. It roared to life even after sitting idle through the holocaust and Kara realized she was wrong about why she fought.

As she pressed on the gas and busted through the locked gate, she realized that she fought not for her stuff, the material things, she fought for the memories…her memories. Taking off down the road, she accepted the fact that they were all she had left.

They were all she really needed.

FIN


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: This one pretty much goes off the charts from canon…but it was fun to write…

Summary: Lee has some time before the rescue mission to Kobol…

FRAGGED

Lee shifted his position in the pilot's berth, something he hadn't be able to do for quite a while…seeing as how his most recent sleeping accommodations were a cot in the brig cell next to the President. He'd volunteered to be on standby for Alert Fighter status because he was too keyed up after the debriefing for the Kobol rescue mission to go back and sit idly in his cell. At least if he was on standby he could actually sleep comfortably…the brig cots left a lot to be desired.

Yawning, his eyes drifted closed, images of Kobol playing in his head. It wasn't bad enough that their world had ended…everything had to be frakked up on top of it. They'd lost an entire Raptor crew and four more souls planet side. Kobol was cursed…it had to be. Since they'd discovered the planet…Kara had gone on a fool's mission, his father had been shot, one of their own was discovered to be a Cylon, he was in the brig for mutiny, the President had been removed from office, and Tigh had just declared marital law. Things could only get worse from here.

Just as his brain was wrapping around that thought, he was startled by someone taking a seat on the edge of the bed…he hadn't closed the curtains and he was back in the shadows. Once the initial edge of surprise died, all his nerve endings went on alert. It couldn't be. He slowly turned away from the wall. A lone female sat with her head hanging in her hands, fingers massaging the back of her neck.

She was close enough to touch. But he didn't. Instead he said quietly. "Kara?" He had to be dreaming this.

Kara shot off the edge of the bed and swung around. "Lee?" She took a step back as if shocked to see him. Clearly Tigh had told her he was in the brig, charged with mutiny.

Lee scrambled to the edge of the bunk and swung his legs down. "Yeah…you're…uh…you're back." He stood and crossed to her not quite believing she was here. Reaching out, he ran his thumb down the side of her face. Real skin…she was here. He brought his other hand up, cupping her face then tilted her head up to meet his lips in a tentative kiss. When she didn't pull away, he drew her closer and deepened the kiss. Oh gods. Things were looking up…Kara had returned to the fleet.

Kara's hands traveled up his arms and over his shoulders finally stopping to meet behind his head. She started moving him in the direction of the bunk. He wasn't about to argue.

Reaching the edge, he paused and pulled back from her searching her eyes for doubts. When he found none, he reached out and slowly unzipped her shirt and slid it off her shoulders. She pushed him back gently until he was seated, then she reached for her waistband and slid her pants down and stepped out of them. Lee followed suit by lifting his hips and sliding his boxers off then he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him while he lifted his feet and swung them up into the bunk. She landed on top of him and didn't waste any more time, lowering her head she pressed her lips to his and the fire started.

Lee wound his fingers in her hair and gently tugged her head back seeking the pulse point on her throat. His lips found the spot and he heard her gasp when they made contact. Wrapping his arms around her, he shifted their positions pulling her under him before he continued his exploration of her. He wasn't going to waste the opportunity to discover all there was to know about her.

Starting at the top her head, his lips trailed kisses all around her face. His tongue traced the curved edges of her ear and she shivered under him. She liked that…he'd have to remember that the next time she got in his face about something. His teeth grazed over her collarbone and her breath hissed out. He placed a soothing kiss over the spot while his hands caressed her skin, gliding down her torso. His lips soon followed as they kissed, sucked and nibbled their way up and down her stomach. Kissing the underside of each breast, he could feel Kara's hips moving as she wound one of her legs around his waist trying to draw him in closer to her.

His hand cupped a breast and he used his lips and tongue to tease all around the peak but never touching the nipple as it tightened in response. He heard Kara's frustrated growl before her hands moved to his head and guided him to the peak. Her whispered plea heightened his desire and when his lips finally drew the pebbled tip into his mouth he was rewarded with a throaty groan. Switching to the other side to pay homage, her fingers tangled in his hair and made him burn just a little hotter for her as she tugged at the short strands.

She pulled him up and caught his lips in a heated kiss. Her tongue sought his and drew it into her mouth stroking against it and he could feel his shaft swell to almost painful proportions. His hand drifted between her legs and his fingers met no resistance as he slid two between her soft folds causing her hips to buck against his hand. Breaking the kiss, he gazed down at her. She nodded her head and whispered, "Now." Lee moved over her, still stroking in and out with his fingers. He lined himself up entered her while drawing his fingers out brushing the tips over the nub of nerves at her core.

Kara writhed under him, her head thrashing from side to side on the pillow. He pulled back and plunged forward again, the feeling of her soft flesh surrounding him nearly causing him to spill himself right then. He set a slow steady pace wanting to savor every moment of being inside her. She reached down with her hands and cupped his ass, holding his hips close to hers as she met his slow thrusts, pushing against him. His head lolled back as the exquisiteness of being surrounded by nothing but her warmth pulled him closer to his climax.

Her hands grasped his arms, short nails digging into his skin and her legs wrapped around him holding him still so she could grind hard along his length, and he knew she was as ready as he was. He bumped lightly against her and she went off, clenching around him, biting her lip to hold back her moans. He bumped against her again and her legs slid down giving him room to stroke in and out of her at a rapid pace that had stars exploding in his mind as he came buried deep inside her, hips bumping softly as he fought to gasp air into his lungs.

He was pulled from his starry haze when the alert sounded, and snapped awake to the call for action stations. "Frak!" He was alone in the bunk and needed to change. A rapid succession of thoughts crashed through his brain as he leapt from the bed stripping off his shorts and replacing them with quick efficient movements. Kara was still gone, his father was still in sickbay, Tigh was still in command, and things were still frakked up.

And he'd just had the most erotic dream ever…complete with fireworks. He grinned stupidly as he zipped up his flight suit. It was insane but he had a better outlook now. Kara would come back. His father would wake up. And Tigh would trip himself up sooner or later.

He shoved all those thoughts from his mind as he hit the corridor running. Right now they had a Cylon patrol to take out and he was suddenly in the mood for a good fight.

FIN


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Tense is wonky…it's meant to be.

Summary:

Kara reflects on her decision to jump back to Caprica…

RESISTANCE

Ah gods, she's tired.

Too tired.

Kara tosses over from her stomach to her side. She and Helo meet up with a resistance group just outside of Delphi and luckily for them get invited to crash for a while at their base of operations in the former high school.

Basic needs…food, water, and oh yeah…a shower, met, Kara just wants to sleep and not wake up for a week.

Except she can't sleep. Damn it all to hell.

She rolls to her back to stare at the ceiling.

Why won't her brain shut the frak up? Not even a pyramid game with a hot guy (hmm…looks an awful lot like Lee, though) and her usual push-ups seem to be breaking through the tension.

Oooo-kay.

Run it down then. She jumps back to Caprica…against orders…for what??? Some mythical arrow that's supposed to find earth and to get her ass kicked by some platinum-bleached blonde amazon.

Frak…she still has aches from that little set down.

But she has the last laugh. She walks away…Starbuck—1, Blonde Bitch—0.

And Helo. Thank the gods for Helo. She isn't expecting an ally, but she gets one.

At least she thinks she does. Sharon ripping off her ride doesn't leave him with much of a choice.

Her gain. Sharon's loss.

So…why does she fell like shit?

Everything is frakked up, that's why. Her choices lately, leave a lot to be desired.

Baltar?

Warm body to scratch an itch. Too bad he isn't the body she wants.

Which leads her to Lee.

What the frak?? How he figured out she slept with Baltar, she'll never know. Doesn't matter how…his reaction to it does.

Who knew he'd be so pissed and judgmental. Gods know, Baltar's at the bottom of the barrel, VP or not. Not at all the type she normally hooks up with. Lee pegs that one right. Waaayyy too much alcohol, a monumental slip, and look where she is.

Half a galaxy away.

Speaking of…why did she take her plan to the XO? Lee had earned the right to hear it first, fight or not.

She steps over him out of spite. Screw going to the CAG. No…she'll take her plan right to the XO…who Lee knows she hates.

Nothing like another punch to the face.

She doesn't blame him for going off on her. And for a moment…one tiny moment…they could have laughed it off and gone back to being friends. He acknowledges her plan even though it could get her killed…he's being his usual self when she cooks up a half-assed, risky plot.

But no.

She has to muck it up by baiting him. Asking if he'd miss her? They're one step away from being them again. One step from their normal routine, but his reaction earlier, his show of interest freaks her out. So…she baits him.

He makes an effort. She's off her game. An apology and a cold stare later, she's bucking orders and tearing across the galaxy. Screw making headway. Screw making amends.

Why does she do this shit?

One little step and she could be wrapped up in Lee instead of lying on a cot staring at the ceiling.

God's she's tired.

Tossing again, and again, and again. She's back to staring at the ceiling. Relief. She needs to relieve the tension. Damn Lee to hell. This is his fault because he makes her think about this crap.

He's arrogant…_he challenges you…_got a stick up his ass a mile long…_doesn't take your shit_…cocky as a son of a bitch…_and looks damn good in or out of a uniform. _

"Arrrggghhh" Frustrating man. She doesn't want to think about the things he makes her think about. Just by being him. He doesn't have to say a word to her…with just a look he sends her brain into overload. Why the frak can she not get him out of her head. _Because he means something to you and you left him hanging. _

Frustrating man who hits all her hot spots just by being in the same room with her. Gods…if he knew she was thinking about him when she slept with Baltar, he'd be relentless. _Relentless…I could maybe get used to relentless._

Closing her eyes, she sifts through her large stockpile of Lee images.

Coming out of the cockpit after blowing the Tylium refinery…oh…yeah. Clasped fingers are loosened and snake down her belly, resting on the waistband of her very comfortable pants.

All scruffy and tired from 200 plus jumps right after the end of the world…she gives him so much crap then. But he handles it and her. Pants inch down, down, past her hips and ass to ride low on her thighs.

Face tilted to the fake sun on Cloud Nine…there's an image etched in her mind forever. Fingers dance low over her belly, sliding down, seeking the spot that's fire hot with need.

Laughing and wet from her direct hit with a hose…gods…Lee needs to be wet more often. A slow rubbing motion starts over her clit, drenched wetness easing the way.

His rueful smile, standing outside her cell…welcome after such long absence, those planes and angles making her hot. And he assumed it was the push-ups. Two fingers delve inside, twisting around and back out. One leg gets kicked out of the pants.

Ah gods…holding a gun to Zarek's head, letting him live, not letting her take the shot. Man's principled…she'll give him that. Breath hitches in her throat as her fingers hit just the right spot. "Damn…oh…damn."

Sitting at the Triad table, telling her to pull up a pew…face still banged up from the old man. How wrong is it that it turns her on? Pace of fingers kick up a notch. Hips dip low on the cot. "Frak…it's hot."

"Oh…" Standing with the old man after winging a Raider…hot, sweaty…"Ah…lords," Fingers delve again, finding the spot. Hips raise…belly tightens. Close now, so close.

Handing her 'your crutches of death'…yeah…sheepish grin…all boyish, no flash. Real. That's when he's real. Hips dip low again, skin glistens, breath comes faster. Low, guttural moan.

Toe-to-toe, not backing down when you wash out the nuggets on the first day. "Ah, gods." Rapid-fire blur of fingers move over her nub.

His cocky grin telling her she doesn't screw around when she brings home a souvenir…yeah…if only he'd taken her up on the offer…of a bath. Hips bump against her hand sending her right to the edge…

She plummets over as the gut-punched look on his face when he sees 'the dress' hits her full force. Her fingers plunge inside once more and she breaks, coming hard, whispering "Lee…gods…Lee."

Curled on her side, reaching for a towel, she wonders if just thinking of Lee gets her off this much, how either of them would survive the real thing. Lying back with a cocky grin on her face, she decides they're getting off this frakking planet so she can damn well find out.

FIN


	5. Chapter 5

Summary:

Filling in some details and throwing in a twist to Kara's ordeal at The Farm…

THE FARM

Kara woke slowly, stretching languorously, knee brushing along the thigh of the body lying next to her. "Lee." Her voice a whisper, she smiled a sexy smile.

Her body ached in all the right places…since she and Lee had finally chucked their baggage at the door and spent the night communicating on the most elemental level possible.

Giving a little jump, she felt Lee's hand smooth down her stomach while he whispered roughly against her ear. "It's time Starbuck."

………

Her eyes opened slowly taking in her surroundings. Mind foggy, she tried to figure out where the hell she was…nothing looked familiar except the leather jacket draped over the back of a chair. As a cold cloth was pressed to her forehead she realized she wasn't alone. Her eyes drifted sideways but her vision was blurry. Right. Where the hell was she? And why couldn't she think clearly?

"You're okay. You're in a hospital." An unfamiliar, deep-timbered voice rumbled. "They brought you in yesterday morning." Blinking to clear her vision, Kara found the source of the rumble; a tall, black man with a white jacket that usually meant doctor.

"You got shot in the abdomen. I'm Simon." He smiled faintly with the introduction. "Can you tell me your name?"

Now that's a question she knew the answer to. "Kara," Ah gods, her throat was scratchy. She swallowed hard to clear it and spoke again, stronger this time. "Kara Thrace." She wouldn't volunteer anything else right now…her eyes shifted slowly around the room again. She still had no idea where she was. Or who this doctor was.

Simon filled her in but she only caught the pertinent info…surgery for two hours…bullet removed…almost didn't make it…all this while he checked her over and adjusted the drip on the IV. Kara tried to shift her position, to clear her head and get her bearings, but when she moved…oh…it burned up her side. Her grimace of pain as she gingerly settled back down had Simon telling her to take it easy, as he walked across the room, cause he knew it hurt.

Yeah…no lie was her thought as the burn in her side eased down to a dull heated throb right above her hipbone. She needed intel, so she shoved the pain back to start asking questions. "Who brought me in?" It better be someone she knew or pain or not…she was outta there. Wherever the hell that was.

Standing at the sink, Simon told her it was a big guy named Anders…a pro pyramid player if she could believe it. As he washed his hands, he glanced in the mirror to see Kara nod slightly.

With a quirky smile she replied that she knew him, relieved, thinking at least they were together. Simon dashed that idea when she asked where he was. Seemed Anders didn't make it after he'd brought her in. What Simon thought was a slight wound ended up being a nicked aorta, causing massive internal bleeding. The realization that she was alone hit Kara even as Simon tried to soothe the hurt by apologizing and telling her he did everything he could.

She nodded again slightly, holding her reaction in check until the good doctor exited through the door. Once it was closed, Kara broke down as it all hit her at once. She still didn't know where she was, Anders was gone and her body ached with agony. Tears dripped down the sides of her face until she finally succumbed to the ether.

…………..

After smoothing his hand down her belly, he used both to grasp her hips dragging them back against his erection. With a throaty laugh Kara rubbed her ass against his hardened shaft drawing a hoarse groan from him.

His lips found her neck as one hand slid down her thigh, lifting it up and over his hip so her legs were splayed open and accessible. Lips still moving over her throat, his fingers delved between her legs, coming away wet to grasp her hip again. His other hand cupped a breast as his hips shifted and his teeth scraped over her shoulder as he thrust up into her with a smooth stroke. Kara groaned quietly twisting her head around so she could seek his lips, while lifting her leg from his hip and shifting onto her back. Keeping her lips locked with his, she used her hands to pull him over her, untangling their legs in the process. Lee hovered over her; breaking away from her lips to ghost kisses and nips down over her shoulder as she did the same. Reaching a breast, he laved his tongue over the puckered tip then pulled it between his lips.

As he sucked gently then with more force her hips bucked up seeking his cock. Trapping the tip between them, her hips swiveled and he lost contact with her nipple by groaning, his head dropping to her side. Settling back down on the mattress, she waited as Lee's lips found hers again and their tongues dueled together, fencing back and forth kicking up the heat. Lee reached down and grabbed her thighs, raising them slightly. The kiss ended and he pulled back, her eyes gazing at him, blurred with passion. Poised to enter her, he paused until her she focused on him then whispered, "It's time Starbuck."

………………

Her eyes blinked open to the harsh light and it slammed back to her…she didn't know where she was, Anders was dead and she'd been shot. Sum total of her valuable knowledge and it didn't mean a damn thing. At least she wasn't as muddled this time.

Simon noticed she was awake and greeted her, "Good morning. I see you're sucking down fluids at a rapid rate. That's good."

Swallowing hard, she tried to become more coherent. Still slightly fuzzy from the meds, she asked the first thing that popped into her head. "Are you a Cylon?"

Simon snorted. "What do you think?"

Kara scowled. She hated it when people answered questions with questions. "I think you didn't answer the question." She didn't add 'moron', but it was close.

Laughing, Simon replied, "I am most definitely not a Cylon." He smiled briefly, "Of course I don't know what you'd expect me to say…" Picking up her chart, he continued, "If I was a Cylon, I certainly wouldn't admit it."

That frakking helped. Kara shifted the topic. "Can I leave?" She hated hospitals and while she wasn't sure that's where she was…it was close enough.

Indicating the direction with his eyes, Simon stated. "There's the door."

Damn straight. Kara tried to get up but was stopped cold from the pain. She gave it up and laid back down, muttering, "Frakkin' doctors."

Simon chuckled and asked if he was a doctor now…not a Cylon.

Kara replied with her usual aplomb, "Jury's still out." Still trying to get information, she launched into wondering aloud. "I would have thought the Cylons had better digs than this place." Looking around again, she asked. "Where is this rat trap?"

Simon explained they were about 20 clicks from Delphi in what used to be a mental institution. Kara had to love the irony of that. It wasn't much but according to Simon it was one of the few places the Cylon's hadn't discovered yet.

Kara wondered aloud if she was supposed to believe there was a resistance out there. Simon told her to be shush…they were trying to keep that fact quiet…right before sending Kara back under again.

…………….

Lee teased her clit with the tip of his cock before entering her with a smooth thrust, causing her eyes to cross with pleasure. Placing her feet on his calves, Kara levered her hips to meet his, bumping against them sending a jolt through both. Letting go of her thighs, Lee's hands sought hers and he lifted them gracefully until they were over her head, her fingers curled with his. Moving her legs upward, she wrapped them around his waist pulling him in deeper as his lips dipped to capture hers. Tension building, they writhed against each other as they had done the night before. Kara wondered anew at the remarkable stupidity they had of throwing up obstacles to avoid this. What were they thinking?

Letting go of her hands, Lee moved his down to cup her ass, holding her against him as he pushed them closer to breaking. She let her hips dip into his hands a little to increase the friction, Lee's harsh exhale letting her know he loved it. Moving slowly, grinding together, they edged along their meltdown until Lee changed up the pace and her breath hissed out between clenched teeth. Her belly quivered, the zing of release a breath away and she sought his eyes with hers.

He tightened his grip on her ass, holding her still while pistoning back and forth within her. Holding her gaze, breath coming in harsh gasps she felt herself ready to spiral out of orbit. She moved her hands to grip his and pushed hard against him making his breath whoosh out on a groan. He tossed his head back for a moment then sought her eyes once more and when he pinned her with a heavy gaze, she felt his control slip. She was right there with him and when his eyes asked the question, she nodded and he pumped again, holding her at the breaking point. Just as she was about to topple, his voice gasped as they both broke, "It's time Starbuck."

…………….

Kara woke, less hazy, more lucid, to an empty room. Dr. Simon entered, checked her fluids and sat down. She still wasn't sure if she trusted the man and decided to ask more questions. Things just weren't adding up in her admittedly fuzzy mind so she queried as to how many patients were there. The doctor answered: 223 patients; 2 doctors; and 5 teachers pretending to be nurses.

223 patients? It was too damn quiet in here with that many people around and Kara said so. A disgusted Simon told her…in detail…the symptoms of acute radiation poisoning, which the majority of the patients were suffering through.

It was horribly uncomfortable, imminently painful, but very, very 'quiet'. Then he let it drop…the real killer in the makeshift hospital was infection. That's why she was in quarantine and hadn't seen anyone else. And it was plausible, as much as she didn't trust it, she believed him…for now.

Suffering through a pelvic exam almost sent her over the edge. Why the hell they needed to conduct one was beyond her. She hated them and the doctor was just creepy enough to make her wary. And she was right to be so…he'd found a cyst, which opened up the conversation to the valuable asset she was now. Her reproductive system was a valuable asset? Not in this lifetime it wasn't.

But he kept pushing and she kept denying. He told her there wasn't a need for Viper pilots on Caprica…asking her to think about where she was and what was going on. Like she hadn't already done that for the minimal amount of time she was coherent.

Then he mentioned her broken fingers, assuming he knew everything there was to know about why she didn't want to play baby games. That they were on the verge of extinction, blah, blah, blah. Kara shut down. Who the frak was this guy, anyway? He wouldn't shut up and she ended up screaming at him to get out.

He complied and left her…something hovering on the fringes of her mind…but just out of reach. With this damn bullet wound, what the hell was she supposed to do now? Things started getting fuzzy again and she shut her mind down when she closed her eyes.

…………….

As she had discovered the night before, coming down with Lee was all about touch. Some form of his skin was in contact with hers at all times and this time it was him pulling her back against him in the position they started out in. His lips grazed over her hair and down to her neck and shoulders, soothing her. Kara twined her fingers with his, settled down and closed her eyes.

She wasn't sure how long she stayed that way until Lee started to nudge her toward the edge of the rack. Comfortable in his arms, she didn't want to move, but he persisted. Her eyes popped open, frustration level rising. She let go of his hand and started to turn over but Lee blocked her. She twisted her head back so she could tell him to knock it off but the look in his eyes stopped her. It was desperate and it scared her. He leaned forward, brushing his lips over hers then whispered, "It's time Starbuck."

………………

She woke slowly, groggy and in pain…but it wasn't the same pain…it was lower and felt different. Gingerly pushing the covers down, almost afraid to look, she discovered a new mark. Below the bullet wound. The door opened, Simon greeted her with a 'good morning'.

"You look better." He was all affable bedside manner and it was starting to piss her off.

Glaring at him, she asked. "What's this new scar?" It hurt like hell and she was tired of being frakked with.

Simon answered matter of fact. "We had to go back in last night while you were asleep." He moved to the bed reaching down, "Some internal bleeding to tie up, nothing to worry about…everything's going to be fine." He fussed with her gown and blankets before moving over to her chart, continuing. "We're just about done with you, Starbuck."

His use of her callsign gave her pause. She hadn't told him her callsign, had she? She'd been up and down and under the influence of the meds so much over the past couple of days, she struggled to remember their conversations.

She played it low-key. "Nice way of putting it." Her mind worked to fill in the details.

Simon carried on with the medical stuff. "Just a couple of tests, and…" He gave a short laugh, "Almost said we'd be sending you back home." He paused. "I guess we'll be sending you back into the fight." His tone was a little disapproving, but filled with acceptance.

Kara relaxed a little, "Sounds good to me." She was relieved to be heading back out soon, until she saw the syringe in Simon's hand. She didn't want to go back under…there was something she needed to remember…something important…and she couldn't remember it if she was constantly in a drugged stupor.

"Hey…I just woke up." Something reeked…she was sure of it. Thinking fast, she pinched the tubing taped to her hand to stave off the flow of whatever was going into the line.

Simon just looked at her, a little smirk on his face. "And now you're going back to sleep." He injected the entire contents of the syringe into the port.

Kara feigned acceptance. "You're the doc." She settled down and made a show of drifting off by fluttering her eyes until they closed.

Rapid-fire thoughts flew through Kara's mind as she waited for the good doctor to leave already. As soon as the door closed she ripped the IV from her hand and carefully got out of the bed. Agonizing pain notwithstanding, she made her way to the door, opened it and slowly moved her way down the corridor.

She stopped when she heard voices talking…it was Simon speaking to someone she couldn't see. Something about ovaries, testing positive and moving her to final disposition. Frak. What was this place?

And then she saw her.

The evil blonde bitch she tumbled with over the edge of a broken floor. The one who didn't make it…yet she's standing right there. Son of bitch! Kara hurried as much as she was able, back to the room she'd been in and it all closed in on her…getting shot, losing Anders, what this place was.

The frakking Cylons had her and she had no idea where she really was. She sat on the edge of the bed ready to lose it. Voice shaky, she prayed. "Lords of Kobol, please help me."

And in a moment of clarity…she heard it again. 'It's time Starbuck."

Lee's voice. The one that kept urging her…telling her it was time…calling her Starbuck.

That's what gave Simon away. Through all the drugs, the pain, the mystery surgery, her dream was prepping her, telling her, guiding her.

_Starbuck._

Lee was warning her.

It's time…she had to get out of here and make her way back to Helo and the fleet.

Knowing what she had to do, she glanced around the room looking for something, anything she could use. Her eyes fell on the fragmented pieces of a mirror. Tossing up a silent thank you to the gods…she added a special one on for Lee.

Then she smiled a deadly smile. "Yeah…it's time.

FIN

Epilogue

Lee had felt it all week. On the ship while they hid in the meat locker, while he tried to give his aborted speech about his father, standing behind the President as she blessed the former prisoners, while waiting on Zarek to launch the signal for their jump back to Kobol…it was an odd, unsettled feeling that wouldn't go away. At first he thought it was worry over his dad, but whenever it happened his thoughts settled on Kara. Something was wrong. He felt it in his bones.

_Come back to me Starbuck, it's time. _

As the ships jumped into orbit around Kobol, Lee felt it again…but this time the churning in his gut dissolved to the dull twinge of just missing her. He couldn't say why, but he had a feeling she'd make it back to them, to him. President Roslin was convinced of it, and now Lee felt she might just be on to something.

FIN II


	6. Chapter 6

Summary:

Lee Adama loves Kara Thrace? Now what the hell is she supposed to do with _that_?

HOME I

Lee shook his head as he walked away, calling back, "Dreamer." He shoved his hands in his pockets and kept going, not waiting to hear if she had anything else hysterically funny to say.

Kara watched his retreat and couldn't resist saying, "MmmHmm." She checked to make sure he'd rounded the corner, before adding a sarcastically whispered, "Ooo-kay."

Spinning the ball around in her hands before sitting back down on the bench, she tossed it again. Lee Adama loves her. She caught the ball and bounced it again. She'd made a promise. _Bounce_. How was she supposed to respond to his declaration? _Catch; bounce_. And how the frak was she going to get back to Caprica to keep her promise? _Catch, hold; bounce_.

She'd missed a hell of a lot while she'd been gone…not the least of which was Lee's apparent 180. _Catch; hold_. Mutiny? Choosing Roslin over the old man? Breaking his parole? _Emphatic bounce_. Not that she would have done differently with Tigh in charge, probably sooner. _Catch_. _Grin._

How was she supposed to deal with this Lee? _Bounce_. The one who kissed her because he was happy to see her? _Catch; bounce_. The one who had no scathing comeback when she called him on his own actions? _Catch, hold; hard bounce_.

The ball hit the wall and bounced twice back to her. She wanted this Lee…hell, she wanted the other one also, truth be told. Maybe they needed the forced break of her tearing off to Caprica to gain some perspective, deal with some issues.

Right. _Bounce_. If gaining perspective meant hooking up with a hot guy and promising to return for him. _Catch; hold_. But what the hell? She and Lee had totally parted on nasty terms. How was she supposed to know he'd pull the rug out from under her? She really hefted the ball on that thought. It hit the wall, glanced off a light fixture, bouncing out of her reach. Kara let the ball go, sitting as the thoughts tumbled in her head.

She'd frakked up by sleeping with Baltar, never hoping for the reaction Lee had. But she figured with Lee it was screw up; no second chances, game over. So…she jumped away, which was easier than trying to deal with both Adamas at the same time.

Instead she dealt with a blond amazon, a Cylon Sharon, finding Helo and hooking up with Sam. Oh yeah…and getting shot and gods know what else at the hands of the Cylons. No wonder she held on to Sam so hard. She'd thought she'd lost the old man and Lee in one fell swoop.

But she hadn't…not if Lee's welcome and friendly declaration could be believed. It was all right there in front of her. Waiting. Could she reach out and grab it?

She'd made a promise to Sam and she'd keep it…but not for the original reason. Sam was a good guy, but he wasn't Lee. And she wanted Lee.

And there it was. Decision made.

Kara laughed and stood, walking over to snag the ball from the floor. She needed to find Lee and take him up on his offer to 'talk'. A grin snuck over her face, as she doubted his definition would match hers, though.

It took some doing for Kara to find out where Lee was bunking. Zarek's men were less than helpful and only the anticipation of what she planned kept her from knocking heads together. She finally caught up with Laura Roslin, who had more than enough on her plate, but took an extra five minutes to lead Kara right to Lee's door. Thanking her again for retrieving the arrow, Laura left after smiling a knowing smile, giving Kara some privacy before knocking on the closed door.

Kara raised her hand then dropped it. Glancing around she took note of her surroundings; secluded corridor with only three rooms, one of which she assumed was the President's. She didn't know whom the other one belonged to and it didn't matter…she was just stalling for time and it was stupid. She lifted her hand again and knocked quickly before she found something else to distract her.

When Lee pulled the door open, the look of his face erased any qualms she might have had. "Busy?" She kept her features playful, hiding her true intent. Maximum impact was her goal.

Lee ushered her in while shaking his head. "Not at all." He closed the door and turned, bumping right into Kara as he had expected her to continue further into the room. "Hey, sorry." His hands reached out grasping her elbows to steady her.

Kara didn't waste time. "Did you really mean it?" Her hands shot forward grabbing onto his fatigue shirt. She started moving backwards, pulling him along with her.

Lee's eyebrows knit in confusion then the light dawned. At least he thought it did. "Kara—" Letting her lead him forward, his mind scrabbled to come up with some sort of explanation.

Lips quirked in a wry grin, Kara met his eyes. "It's a simple question, Lee." Her fingers brushed the collar of his shirt before they started sliding it off his shoulders. "You did say you'd be there whenever I needed to talk, right?" Her hands paused, the shirt bunched at his elbows, as her backwards trek ended at the wall. Her eyes met his and she almost felt bad for messing with him. Almost. He was so going to like the rest of this conversation

Lee stared at her until his brain finally registered with what she was saying. He blinked, nodding his head first before speaking. "Y—Yes." It came out hesitantly because his voice caught in his throat at what he'd thought they were talking about, so he said it again…emphatically. "Yes." She was sliding his shirt off because she needed to talk? "I'm here for you, whatever you want to discuss." He had to stop himself from shaking his head to clear it. It's not what she needed to see right now.

Kara grinned wickedly, as she finished taking off Lee's fatigue shirt. "Good. I was hoping you meant what you said." Sliding her hands up his arms, she leaned in close. "Cause I really need to talk right now." Tilting her head slightly, her lips were inches away from his.

Lee swayed forward, almost kissing her but stopping himself. "Uh…what are we doing here, Kara?" He wanted to hope, needed it, but he'd frakked up royally before she left and he was going to make damn sure he didn't do it again. Bringing his hands up to rest lightly on her shoulders, he waited, eyes on her lips.

Kara closed the space between them, clarifying. "I'd say we're talking." Her lips met his in a quick kiss before she added, "Wouldn't you?" A little grin tugged at the corners of her mouth.

Lee caught on…finally. "Um…yeah. Talking." His fingers found the zipper of her shirt, tugging downward until free. He was happy he'd managed even that as his brain didn't seem to be able to form more than a single word at a time.

While lifting up his tanks, Kara said, "You know," she kissed his chest mumbling, "…important conversation." Tanks off, she started on his pants.

Unable to do more than parrot her, Lee nodded, "Important." Her shirt gone, his fingers went to the waistband of her pants, as his lips brushed over her shoulder.

Kara shuddered pushing Lee's pants down, "Deep topics." Her lips found his neck, sucking gently on the skin.

Divesting Kara of her pants by pushing them down then letting her feet take over as she kicked out of them, Lee lifted her bra over her head, tossing it behind him. His hands went to her face, raising it, palms cupping her cheeks. "Kara. Shut up." Her answering laugh was her only response before he crushed his mouth to hers.

Kara melted into him, the kiss hot and heady, telling her everything she needed to know. Desire crashed through her as she wrapped her arms around Lee, trying to seal any gaps as they got skin to skin.

Lee's hand went to her thigh, eyes dropping and noticing the two new scars. They flew up to hers in question and she gave a quick back and forth shake of her head indicating this particular 'deep topic' was off limits for now. He let her pull him into another kiss while he draped her thigh over his hip, wedging his leg gently between hers. His other hand went to the wall, cushioning her back as it hit up against it. Their lips shifted into another kiss as her hips rose and he slid up inside her.

The sensation had them both sucking in air as their eyes met and held. They found a slow rhythm, moving in unison, their breaths mingling in chorus with each other. Kara rose up, wrapping her legs wrapped around Lee's waist and he held her close, breast to chest, as he walked them to the bed.

Sitting on the edge, they didn't miss a beat as Kara took over and rode Lee with a sensual grace. His lips found the hollow of her throat and burned a trail of kisses down and over her shoulder. Bringing his hands up, he cupped her breasts, rubbing his thumbs over her nipples. Kara's breath hissed out as she leaned back to give his lips access. He didn't disappoint, tongue flicking over her nipples before his lips closed over one peak.

Kara moaned his name, hips moving faster over his lap pulling him deeper inside her. "Gods, Lee." A shudder ran through her, her hands gripping his shoulders, fingers digging into his skin.

His eyes met hers again and he smiled, nodding his head, unable to speak as the pleasure built rapidly. Head dropping to her shoulder, he didn't know how much longer he'd be able to hold on. The sensation of her moving over him, her breath coming in short gasps had him teetering on the edge of reason. Gripping her ass, his hips thrust upwards and she broke, a ragged cry of something primal falling from her lips.

Head thrown back, Kara clenched hard around Lee's cock, feeling the exact moment he lost control, coming hard. His head buried in her shoulder dampened his shout of release and his arms held her tight as he tumbled back on the bed hauling her with him.

Sprawled on his chest, Kara listened as his heartbeat returned to normal, knowing her own did the same. Lee's hands feathered up and down her back with soothing strokes releasing all kinds of tension she'd been holding in. She wanted to just sink into him and never move again, but Lee had other ideas. He shifted their position sideways pulling them both onto the bed before reaching down and dragging a light blanket up to cover them.

At that moment, holding her, Lee didn't care if they ever found the Tomb of Athena, directions to Earth, or anything else. He'd found exactly what he was looking for and he wasn't letting go. Tilting his head back, he gazed at her. Her eyes were closed, but the small smile playing around her lips told him she was still with him. Kissing her forehead, he whispered. "I meant it."

Her smile turned into a grin as her eyes opened. "I love you, too."

FIN


	7. Chapter 7

Summary:

Lee promised to be there when she needed to talk. Kara thinks he'll like this conversation.

HOME II

"Nice speech, wasn't it?" Kara's brisk walk caught her up with Lee. The president's welcome back speech was complete and the causeways were jammed with people.

Lost in thought, Lee turned at her words, a distracted smile playing around his mouth. "Short speech. Madam President knows when to keep it brief." So much had happened recently and he was still trying to let it all sink in.

His father was back in command, the President reinstated, the arrow retrieved and the tomb found…complete with a map and direction. But most of all…Kara was home and it made him so happy he wasn't sure how to deal with it. Aside from a few conversations, he still didn't know much about what she went through on Caprica, but he knew it wasn't good. She seemed to settle right back into routine and had yet to take him up on his offer to talk about anything she needed to discuss.

Walking beside her now, Lee really wanted to make her sit and open up to him…but he knew she wouldn't. They had fallen right back into their usual camaraderie as if nothing had gone down before she'd left. It was probably for the better…but he felt he should at least explain why he'd had such a bad reaction to the whole Baltar thing. Except he couldn't…cause he didn't know why.

Kara watched Lee as they jostled through the corridors, knowing he was over thinking things again. Internalizing instead of venting, holding things in. If Lee spent half as much time doing as he did thinking, he'd probably be amazed at how much more progress he'd make.

Take them…he'd gone fairly quiet after their exchange on the Astral Queen. They still talked, had each other's backs, but he didn't mention the kiss or the fact that he'd told her he loved her. She'd had time to think about it and everything sort of fell into place for her. They'd been dancing around it for so long and Lee finally broke…hence the reaction to her sleeping with Baltar. She could kick herself for getting so blasted that she fell into bed with him.

Again…if Lee spent half as much time doing…

Not that she had room to talk. They'd gotten closer since the initial attacks; her part in Zak's death wasn't hanging between anymore and she knew Lee liked to take things slow. His pole-axed gaze should have been her first clue that they had potential…but she'd been in denial mode.

Their argument, her jump, the time on Caprica…all seemed so far away when his lips hit hers on the Astral Queen. It was like coming home…she just didn't realize it at first. She was so wrapped up in the memory she shot right past Lee when he stopped at the hatch to quarters. Stopping short, she turned to find his looking at her with an amused expression on his face.

She rolled her eyes up and over. "Guess I wasn't paying attention." Following him into quarters, she watched as he walked over to his locker to shed the dress grays. "Lee…" she waited for him to glance at her.

She met his eyes, the room became charged between them. "I'd like to have that talk now."

Holding her gaze, the slight inclination of his head was his response. Words weren't really necessary and Kara dogged the hatch and barred it.

She made her way to Lee, putting her hands over his on the uniform sash, undoing the clasp and laying in his locker. Lee returned the favor then both started on the buttons of each other's jackets. Once removed, Lee took hers and piled it on top of the sashes.

His hand hovered close to her face, his eyes searching hers and seeing what he needed, his fingers brushed gently down her cheek to cup her chin before his lips claimed hers with a tentative kiss. When she responded hungrily, his tongue slid into her mouth, exploring slowly, deeply, as if he were memorizing for contemplation at a later time. His other hand drew her closer as the kiss deepened and took on some heat.

Kara felt as if she were melting. She leaned into him, her body going soft as she molded herself to him. Grabbing onto his shoulders, her hands slid up to his head, fingers shooting through his hair. She relied on Lee to keep her upright; the kiss was burning its way through her system. If the kiss on the Astral Queen was like coming home, this one was a vacation from reality. Better than that, because it **was** real, but her brain was like three steps behind her body.

Lee angled them over his bunk, breaking the kiss only long enough to sit her on the edge so he could lean her back with another hot, passion-filled kiss. His fingers went to her pants, deftly undoing them and working the fabric down past her hips, underwear included, far enough so Kara could kick them off. Unfastening his own, he removed them quickly, shedding his boxers at the same time.

Rolling up onto the bunk, he pulled her up beside him, molding their bodies together, still kissing her breathless. He pulled back as his fingers worked her tanks up, lips dipping to whisper kisses along the exposed flesh. Pulling the shirts over her head, his mouth found her neck and he gently grazed the skin with his teeth as Kara gasped at the contact.

Her hands ran down his arms, relishing the feel of solid muscle. Grabbing onto his shirts she made short work of getting them off so her lips and tongue could taste the skin of his chest. She made a humming sound in her throat at the feel of the warm, smooth surface under her lips. Raising her head, she met him in another kiss that had her blood coursing through her veins with rapid intensity.

Lee smoothed his hands down her back, curving over her ass to draw her flush against him. He worked a knee between her legs, his hair-roughened thigh rubbing over her sensitive nub. At her groan, his leg moved back, hand replacing it. Her hips bucked up as two fingers slid inside her. She was warm and wet and felt like liquid silk and his cock hurt with wanting her.

The thinking part of Kara's brain shut down and the feeling part took over. Arching her back brought her breasts in contact with Lee's chest and she moaned as the sensitive peaks brushed up against his warm skin. Her hands had a will of their own, moving over him, pulling him closer, kneading the flesh of his arms, back, and ass until her fingers were tingling with the friction.

Lee's fingers worked magic and unable to stand it any longer, she gave him a light shove backwards, dislodging his hand, but he didn't protest. Her head dipped to his torso, lips ghosting over his taut abdomen before moving up so her tongue could swirl around a pebbled nipple. Lee moaned, grasping the sides of her face, pulling her up so their mouths could meet.

Deepening the kiss, tongue slipping deftly into his mouth, Kara straddled Lee's hips. Effectively trapping his erection between them, she moved back and forth over it, teasing him until he growled low in his throat. His hands went to her waist holding her still, while his hips dipped then shifted up while his cock slid smoothly inside her.

Lee watched the grin Kara was wearing when he stopped her fall away as her mouth opened on a gasp. He pumped his hips, still holding onto her waist until she groaned. Her hands went to his chest and she pushed herself up, eyes heavy with desire. She blinked, looked down at him and settled her knees close to his ribs. She started a slow grind as a sultry smile curved her lips and Lee knew he was a goner. His eyes rolled back as she rocked her hips and his hands dropped to the sheet, fingers twisting at the pleasure she was creating.

With deep satisfaction, Kara watched as Lee came undone beneath her. She felt the heat building, her body feeling like one giant nerve ending. Everywhere their skin touched ripples of heat emanated, and Kara could feel the burn spreading like a wave over her. When Lee's hands cupped her breasts, she nearly slid over the edge but held back. Grasping one of his hands, she brought it up to her mouth, nipping lightly at his forefinger. She laid her other hand over his on her breast twining her fingers with his as rubbed his palm over her nipple.

Lee was so close to exploding inside her. After she bit softly on his finger, he fisted his hand around hers letting her tuck it under her chin as she worked over his hips at a faster pace. Breathing harshly, he knew he wasn't going to last much longer. He could feel Kara tightening around him letting him know she was as close as he was. Sliding his hand out from under the one on her breast, he pressed her palm over the skin and moved to the other peak, brushing his fingertips over the aroused tip.

Kara shattered around him, muffling her cries of pleasure with his fist by pressing her lips to his knuckles. He broke to the sight of her eyes closing in orgasm, shoulders trembling, before his own eyes slid shut as he emptied inside her. When she collapsed against him, his arms automatically went around her, holding her close, savoring the moment.

They stayed that way until their skin cooled and breathing returned to normal. Kara shifted sideways and slid off Lee, who turned to face her, keeping her next to him. She buried her face in his shoulder wondering if he got it yet. They so didn't need words to communicate…not when they just said everything they'd ever need to say to each other.

Still it was Lee she was dealing with.

As she was raising her head to finally say something, he flat out shocked her to her toes by saying, "So…I'm thinking we need to have conversations like this more often." His lips nuzzled her neck before drifting down to her shoulder.

Stunned speechless for a minute, Kara's first thought was that maybe Lee didn't over think things quite as much as she assumed. Shaking her head slightly, she met his gaze. "Why Captain." Her hand slid down to his ass while she threw her leg over his thigh. "I think you can count on it."

FIN


	8. Chapter 8

Summary:

Kara can't resist messing with Lee regarding his infamous towel scene with D'Anna Biers. Lee decides to turn the tables on her…

FINAL CUT

Kat had definitely put them in a bind with her stim abuse and Kara needed to track Lee down to discuss the flight schedule. Lee hadn't been far off when he said if they lost any more pilots the cooks would be flying the missions. Looking at the schedule…everyone had more than they could handle and it was up to them to see if they could finagle anything to keep up the status quo.

She looked in the office, not there. Checked the briefing room, empty. Same with the mess, no action, so she finally checked sickbay and found Hot Dog sitting beside Kat. "You seen Lee?" She asked Hot Dog as she was still sorely pissed at Kat…flying with stims was something Kara hated even though she'd seen Kat's interview and on some level understood where the younger pilot was coming from.

Hot Dog turned at her question. "He was here about 10 minutes ago…said something about grabbing a shower and hitting his rack. He's going to cover Kat's first patrol." Kat was chagrined that Hot Dog was talking about her like she wasn't there…but she didn't say anything. Just scooched down in the bed trying to hide from Starbuck's piercing glare.

Kara nodded in their general direction, "Right." Turning to leave, she tossed over her shoulder, "I'd find some rack time too, Costanza…we're all gonna be pulling extra shifts until Katraine is back on her feet." To Kat she added, "Get some rest and sleep those stims out of your system…we need you back out there." It was the only concession she was going to make for her.

Making her way to the head, she pondered Lee covering Kat's first shift. He'd been swamped lately and having a reporter on board hadn't helped. They'd all seen the final cut and Lee in a towel had gone over huge…especially with the female crew. Kara grinned…she'd had the perfect view when D'Anna Biers had burst into the senior officer quarters. And she looked by the gods…it was too amazing of a sight not to.

Rounding the corner of the entrance to the head…she spied Lee in yet another towel and couldn't resist. "Captain Adama, sir…should I bring the reporter back later?" She snorted at the question. Lee was less than thrilled that he was on film in practically nothing. Plus she owed him one.

Startled, Lee turned his head ready to lay into the woman reporter who couldn't seem to back off, but seeing Kara standing alone with a trademark smirk on her face, he just shot her a look and holding onto his towel with one hand, opened his duty locker with the other. Kara had just paid him back for telling Biers she could ask her about the new pilots.

Grabbing some clothes, he tossed them on the bench behind him. "Funny, Kara." He turned and gave her a pointed look since she was still standing in the doorway not bothering to avert her eyes. "Do you mind?" She was pushing things further than necessary, but when didn't she?

The corners of Kara's mouth tilted upward while her eyes gleamed with a fun challenge, "Not at all, captain. Carry on." She should really quit while she was ahead but Lee wasn't the only one who liked to push buttons.

Lee stood holding his towel, head tilted slightly to the side, eyeing Kara speculatively. She'd seen the view from behind. And she looked…it was right there on film, proof positive. Straightening his head, a slow grin spread across his face. If she wanted a show she was going to get one.

Letting go of one end, his towel did a slow drop brushing over his ass before sliding off his hip to fall forward still hiding his cock, very similar to the previous incident. Biggest difference now was the angle Kara had to view from, front instead of back. With that thought in mind, he slowly lowered the towel down inch by inch, watching Kara's eyes go wide in anticipation.

Kara didn't believe Lee would actually drop the fabric. He'd never take things that far. Watching as more and more skin was revealed her eyes flew to his and the realization dawned…he was absolutely going to show everything. Her eyes darted downward just in time to watch his fingers let go, her breath hitching in her throat as the fluffy towel hit the floor with a soft thud. Oh yeah…view was just as good from the front.

Kara slowly looked up to meet Lee's eyes again. They held an unspoken question…what next? Scrambling over the bench, Kara showed him by launching herself at him sending them both back into the lockers. She didn't care as her lips sought his, fingers shoving themselves into still damp hair. Her lips worked their way across his face, down his neck then back up again. For Lee's part, his hands were dragging her shirt up, stopping to caress her skin, before lifting it over her head.

Frantically stumbling away from the lockers, Kara shoved her pants halfway down then tripped over the legs. Grabbing Lee's shoulders to keep from falling she used her feet to walk herself out of them. With Lee's hands holding her face as his lips moved over hers, she grasped the edge of her bra and squirmed her way out of it breaking the kiss only long enough to get it over her head.

In a tangle of feet and limbs, she maneuvered them around, pushing Lee down into a sitting position on the bench behind them. Not even giving him time to get his feet planted, she climbed up and sank down over his cock, wet and ready, moaning as he filled her. Settling her knees at the sides of his hips, she began a furious rocking motion almost sending them both toppling backwards.

Expecting none of what was happening, Lee's shock finally burned off putting him firmly in the moment. He grabbed the edge of the bench with one hand keeping them upright, the other settled loosely on her hip, moving back and forth in time with her motions. He gradually moved his fingers up to her waist then around to her back, smoothly sliding over her skin as she rocked against him, tilting her hips back and forth.

Kara lost herself in him, reveling in the rapidly building awareness of his cock moving in and out of her. When his tongue found the pebbled tip of her breast she gasped as it swirled around and flicked over the nipple before his lips latched on, sucking it into his mouth. She ground harder over him, the pulling sensation from his lips sending shockwaves through her body.

As Kara moved over him, Lee's lips traveled from one peak to the other, working and teasing the already aroused nipples. His mouth moved over her skin, unable to get enough of her, as his teeth grazed over her shoulder, nipping lightly at her collarbone before meeting her lips in a hungry kiss that had them both teetering on the edge. Pulling away, his hand slid around her neck as he held her gaze, breath coming in harsh rasps as Kara picked up the pace.

Ready to topple over the precipice, Kara squeezed her muscles around Lee's cock as she gazed at him through heavy-lidded eyes. As he shuddered beneath her, barely hanging on, Kara's control snapped and she came, her face buried in his shoulder as she gripped his head, fingers twisting in his hair.

Feeling Kara break over him, clenching tightly around his cock, Lee careened over the edge. Surging inside her, he gave a hoarse cry as he emptied himself feeling as if he was shattering into a million pieces and the only thing holding him together was her, wrapped around him. He barely kept them upright, spent from the insane pleasure coursing through him.

Smoothing her lips over his shoulder, Kara slowly pulled herself together. Thank the gods for blond reporters who liked to show provocative stuff on the wire. Kara laughed lightly, thinking it was a good thing she'd already filed her story. The nosy D'Anna may have gotten more than she bargained for if she was still skulking around the ship.

At Kara's laugh, Lee asked what she was thinking about. She told him he didn't want to know, but it had to do with rolling cameras and stuff that really didn't need to be on film.

Looking over his shoulder, just in case, Lee responded. "Gods Kara, don't even joke about something like that." Sliding his hands down her back, he shifted on the bench settling her more comfortably on his lap. "Please tell me you didn't come here because that reporter is doing more interviews." Her final piece was better than he expected, but the disruption to their daily lives wasn't worth it, in his mind.

Kara had to think hard to remember why she'd come looking for him, but she did and she put his fears to rest. "Um…no. As far as I know she's not coming back." Scooting back off his lap, she stood then reached for her clothes. "I wanted to take a look at the flight schedule to see how we're going to manage without Kat." As she dressed, suddenly it didn't matter anymore. They'd manage the same way they always did…by having each other's backs.

Halfway clothed, Lee nodded as if reading her mind. "We'll do fine. I'll cover her first shift then we can hook up and go over the rest of the schedule." Pausing, before pulling on his shirt, he stopped Kara from exiting. Leaning in, he kissed her hard and fast. "Maybe we'll have to see what happens without the aid of a towel." He pulled his shirt over his head to the sound of Kara's laughter ringing in his ears.

FIN


	9. Chapter 9

Summary:

Ellen Tigh, hand on ass. Why else would Lee be in the shower??

TIGH ME UP, TIGH ME DOWN

Kara stood leaning against the entry as she watched Lee run the scrap of cloth over his skin for the umpteenth time in the shower. She wasn't sure what the hell was going on with him but she was damn sure going to find out.

She pushed herself off the wall and decided to just jump right in. "You trying to scrub off the top layer of skin, or what?" She couldn't wait to hear his answer.

Lee had been rewinding the evening in his head and was startled to find he wasn't alone. "Frak. Sneak up on people much?" He turned red as she perused him from head to toe. "Uh…you know you're not supposed to be looking." Gods…this was all he needed after the night he'd just had. Kara was not helping.

Kara smirked. "Can't help it…you've been in here thirty minutes." Her eyes narrowed. "You getting special privileges that I don't know about?" NO ONE took thirty-minute showers on a battlestar.

Lee hadn't realized he'd been in the shower so long. "Thirty minutes?" Frak. It still wasn't enough time. Lee shook his head. "Gods…I still don't feel clean." He shuddered with a memory…he'd spend the rest of the damn night in the here if he had to.

Now Kara was really intrigued. "What the hell happened?" She had a feeling she was going to have to pry it out of him. She was good a prying.

Lee tossed a glance over his shoulder. "You don't want to know." And he really didn't want to tell her.

Kara gave him a wide smile. "Uh…yes. I think I really do." She knew whatever it was…it was going to be good.

Lee lathered up the washcloth again while he debated telling her. "Nope. You really don't." She was going to laugh her ass off. She wasn't saying anything so he glanced back again. There she was, still standing, arms crossed over her chest indicating that she didn't plan on leaving anytime soon. He finally caved…maybe if he actually said what had happened he wouldn't feel like his skin was still crawling. With a sigh of resignation, he stated. "Two words…Ellen Tigh." There…he'd said the name. Didn't help. He should have known. Now all he had to do was wait for Kara to start laughing herself silly.

Oh gods…she had known it was going to be good. "Ellen Tigh?" The screeching banshee otherwise know as Colonel Tigh's extremely loose wife. Kara could just imagine what she'd do to a prime specimen like Lee. "Invade your personal space, did she?" Oh, she shouldn't make light of it, but it was too delicious not to. She had a perfectly clear image of what had probably happened.

Lee rolled his eyes. "Oh…it was more than an invasion." He rinsed the soap off again. "I spent a good portion of the entire dinner with her foot in my lap." The woman had freakishly nimble toes. He turned his back to Kara, grabbed more soap and began the process all over again. "Then she had to gall to grab my ass before leaving." He shuddered. "Gods…I'll never be clean again." If he could just shake the creepy feeling of having her hands on him, he'd be okay.

For a guy like Lee, who preferred to steer clear of complicated entanglements…Kara could imagine his revulsion at having a superior officer's wife attempting seduction with said officer in the same room. Woman's got props…Kara would give her that.

Kara couldn't take watching him anymore. "Aww…poor Lee." She chuckled. "Too handsome to resist, yet too honorable to take advantage." She started peeling off her clothes. "A willing woman and you let her slip right through your fingers." She had decided to give Lee something else to think about.

Lee snorted at the thought of Ellen Tigh anywhere near his fingers. "Yeah…well…she was a little too willing." He stepped back under the sting of the water as soapy residue slid down his body. "And call me stupid…but I don't like to share." He turned his back to the water and was greeted by a very naked Kara standing right in front of him. "What's this?" He raised an eyebrow. "Dirt by association?" It was a lame attempt to cover his shock and his eyes wouldn't listen when his brain said 'don't look'. Thinking how exquisite she was he tried to take it all in…the smooth flesh, rounded curves, and sleek muscles. He shook himself mentally and snapped his gaze back to hers.

Kara was shaking her head. "Nope." She stepped closer to him, leaving just inches between them. "Just thought maybe someone else's touch might drive the feel of her out of your mind." She trailed her fingers down his arm then smiled at him. "Besides…I'm not sure how much skin you'll have left if you keep this up." She glanced up at his face to gage his reaction.

Lee sucked in a breath as her hand reached behind him to turn the water off. "Uh, skin's just fine, thanks." They shouldn't be doing this, but for the life of him, he couldn't think of a reason why right now.

Kara slid her hands around Lee's waist. "Let's keep it that way. All right?" She angled towards him until their bodies were just touching. "I happen to like your skin just the way it is. Not all pink and prickly from scrubbing it raw." She reached up, drew his head down and then pulled him into a kiss that was meant to wipe anyone else from his mind. What it did was suck her in until starbursts went off in her head and if Lee's response was any indication, the same was happening to him. When she pulled away, the first thing out of her mouth was "Ellen who?" When Lee let out a half groan/half laugh, she knew he wasn't going to be thinking about the dinner party from hell anymore.

Lee's brain was so far removed from anything but the kiss he just shared with Kara that when she asked 'Ellen Who?' he had to think for a moment what she was talking about. When it registered he wasn't sure if he should laugh or groan. He ended up doing a combination of both. "Please, please don't mention that name." He deftly maneuvered her around as he spoke. "I won't be held responsible for my actions if I hear it again tonight." He had Kara positioned right where he wanted her, back against the wall of the showers, staring up at him.

Kara raised her eyebrows. He didn't think she'd pass that challenge up did he? "Is that right?" She put her hands on his shoulders and hitched her back up against the wall bringing her feet off the ground. Lee had no choice but to step in closer to hold her steady against his thighs. She had a wicked glint in her eyes when she looked at him and said in a low voice. "Ellen Tigh." She watched Lee's eyes go dark and sucked in a breath as she waited.

Lee figured she wouldn't be able to let it slide. The almost daring in her eyes did him in. "You had fair warning." He growled before crushing her mouth with his. He worked his tongue past her teeth and deepened the kiss until his brain screamed for oxygen. He broke away and pulled Kara further up to him, nestling her hips against his. "Gods Kara." His breath hissed out at the contact. "What are we doing here?" He couldn't resist the curve of her shoulder so he trailed kisses over it moving up to her throat.

Kara had a sensitive spot just below her jawbone. "I'd say we were frakking—" She moaned when Lee's lips grazed over the area. "Damn Lee." She shoved her fingers in his hair and dragged him back to her lips. She was done playing. She broke the kiss and moved her lips to his ear. "As I was saying," She wrapped her legs around him. "We are going to frak each other senseless." He groaned into her mouth and Kara decided she was done talking, too. It was time to seriously move this along.

She met his lips again while she pulled herself against his chest, the feeling of his wet skin against her nipples causing her to shiver. She pulled his head up and locked her gaze with his. Then she lifted herself slightly and slid smoothly over his cock. When their hips met, she groaned, relishing the feeling of finally having him inside her.

Lee's eyes went closed as Kara enveloped him in her moist center. He wondered briefly if he was losing his mind. It certainly felt like Kara was wrapped around him. He couldn't be dreaming the way he was pulsing inside her. No. None of his dreams had this much clarity. He looked up and found her watching him expectantly. His brain finally kicked back in and he pumped his hips against her, moaning her name.

Kara braced her back against the wall, grinding herself along the hard length of Lee as he drove in and out of her. She gasped when he cupped her behind, drawing her close and holding her in place as he thrust up into her with rapid fire stokes. The feeling of her clit rubbing against him caused a slow build of tension, drawing a low moan from her throat. Kara leaned her head against the wall and just savored the feel of hard muscles where her hands gripped his shoulders.

The friction between them revved up another notch when Lee changed their positions and placed his own back against the wall. His hands held Kara, one cupping the curve of her ass, the other sliding up her back. In this position, with the wall for leverage he went even further inside her. He gasped in amazement at the feeling of completion that washed over him. It nearly sent him over the edge, his control slipped and his pace increased as he hurtled toward a release he knew was close.

Kara nearly came unglued as Lee thrust himself deeper. She threw her head back and bit back a scream as the tightly coiled tension began to spread itself along her nerve endings. She held his shoulders, leaning hard against the arm that held her upright. Grinding against him, her breath hitched in her throat as she spun closer and closer to her breaking point. She knew it was going to be intense and as she skittered along the edge, she brought her fist to her mouth. When Kara slipped over the precipice she bit down on her knuckles, stifling the sound of her passion as her muscles tensed all around what seemed like hot steel inside her.

When Lee felt Kara shatter around him, his loosed the rein on his control and plunged into her with an intensity that had him right on the brink. With a final stroke, he held his roar of release in his chest as he emptied himself deep inside her soft walls. He sucked in a breath as his muscles twitched with the pleasurable agony of being completely spent. When he could finally breathe without labor, he lifted Kara's hand to his lips and brushed them across her lightly grazed knuckles.

Kara was sated, content and really didn't want to move, but she slid away from Lee and stood on shaky legs. She pulled him to her and caught his lips in a soft kiss that held a promise for things to come. Reluctantly let him go, she moved to the shower next to him. Turning on the water, a thought struck her and she giggled. When she noticed Lee's questioning look she clarified. "Who would have thought we'd have Ellen Tigh to thank for this." She then laughed outright as Lee closed his eyes and groaned at hearing the woman's name again. Kara just grinned wickedly at the thought of having to take Lee's mind off of Ellen at least once more tonight.

FIN


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note:

I got a little creative with the transfer by adding my own twisted spin to it. Based on a deleted scene…

Summary:

Lee and Kara are getting transferred…and neither is happy about it.

PEGASUS

Kara literally stomped into quarters after receiving her new transfer orders from Adama. Yanking open her locker she grabbed her rucksack and started shoving stuff inside. _How much does this frakking suck?_ Transferred, not only on the eve of a big op, but away from the only place that felt like home to her. _It bites_. The Pegasus pilots were a bunch of prima donnas. _Keeping score tallies on their Vipers?_ Lamest thing she ever heard.

Methodically clearing her gear from her locker her thoughts didn't improve. She didn't even want to think about their frakking CAG? The stick was so far up his ass he had leaves sprouting from his nose. _Gods_.

Not taking time to be neat, she kept shoving her personal belongings into her bag…until she got to the picture. Slowly removing it from its place on the door, she folded the part of her and Zak backward so only Lee showed. At least he'd be over there with her. An ally in a pit of Vipers, literally and figuratively, she thanked the Lords for that much.

Lee wandered toward the bunkroom, his father's warning that the Pegasus crew were gunning for them rattling around in his head. His response back that the other ship's crew was gunning for all of them notwithstanding…Lee had an uneasy feeling about the return of the newer Battlestar and its people. Something wasn't quite right with them…from the Admiral on down. What kind of sane military leader integrated crews on the eve of a huge Cylon op?

And why Kara and himself…Galactica's two best pilots? If he didn't know better, he'd swear Cain was trying to undermine his father's command. Not liking the path his thoughts were taking, Lee wandered into quarters and saw Kara staring at the picture of the three of them.

Her face was wistful, and he knew she was even less thrilled than he was to be transferring. At least he'd have a familiar face over there with him. It made things almost bearable. Hopefully she felt the same way.

He walked over and sat on the edge of her bunk. "I can't believe you still have that." Somewhere, in a place he didn't let himself go to very often…it made him happy she did.

Kara rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Can't seem to get rid of it." Using her shoulder, she pushed away from the locker and placed the picture in the bag she was holding.

Tossing the rucksack on the bunk beside Lee, she grabbed the dress sash, the last thing hanging in her locker. Moving the few steps it took to get her bag, she tossed it in and zipped up. When she moved to grab the strap, Lee's hands stopped her.

Kara hid a lot of things, but Galactica had been home for her since Zak died. "You okay?" He already knew how she'd answer but he asked anyway.

Shrugging again, Kara gave her head a shake. "I'm fine." She pulled her hands out from under Lee's and picked up her bag. Moving it to the floor, she began to methodically remove all traces of herself from the bunk area. When Lee showed no signs of moving off the berth, she stopped, putting her hands on her hips. "What?" They needed to get moving or face the wrath of two commanding officers.

The bad feeling from earlier had settled into his stomach. Glancing up, he spoke softly. "I don't like this Kara." Holding her gaze, he tried to explain, "There's something ugly about it." He couldn't wrap his head around a fleet admiral making personnel changes, big ones, the night before a huge op.

Her personal list of reasons why she hated this aside, Kara wanted to know why Lee mentioned ugly. She sighed and sat down beside him. "Explain. What's ugly?" Besides a bunch of asshole pilots who kept visual scorecards that were going to make her insane.

Lee shrugged. "You heard dad. They're gunning for us." Glancing sideways, he went on, "I think they're gunning for him, too." He couldn't put his finger on it, but his instincts were screaming there was more to this transfer than anyone knew.

Nodding her head, Kara agreed. "Right. What are we gonna do about it?" It was the two of them versus an entire ship. What could they do?

Lee shook his head. "I have no idea." He looked up, continued. "Keep our eyes and ears open, try to find out what's going on." Having both of them over there could end up being a good thing.

Kara's tongue clicked against her teeth. "Damn straight." She sat for a minute, mulling over Lee's fear that more was going on under the surface. It added to the dread she felt over leaving Galactica. "I really don't want to do this, Lee." Grabbing the edge of the bunk, she curled her fingers around the edge before straightening them out again.

Lee got it. He wanted to reassure her, but what the hell could he say? They were walking into an almost blind situation with only instinct, rumor and innuendo to go on. The only good thing was they trusted each other. Lee knew he could count on Kara.

Letting out a sigh, Lee agreed. "Yeah. I don't want to go either." Glancing over at Kara again, he noticed she wasn't as tense and he made a suggestion. "Look, we'll stick together, at least the first couple of days?"

As much as she liked the thought, she doubted it would be possible. "We may not have a chance. They may separate us…break us down…you know the drill." Kara didn't look forward to what lay ahead cause she didn't back down from a fight.

Lee shook his head. "No. Not on the night before a mission." He was certain they'd have at least two days before the rank and file tried to crush them. "Look…let's use whatever time we've got and learn everything we can." Expelling a breath on a sigh, he glanced over at Kara noting the dread back in her eyes. "We're the two best people to be over there…we have his best interests in mind." He didn't have to tell her whom he was talking about. The quick nod of her head let him know she was on board.

Taking a chance, he grabbed her hand and when she didn't draw away, he pulled her close. "It's gonna be okay, Kara. We'll be okay." He dropped a kiss on the top of her head then let go and made to move off the bunk.

Kara snagged his arm and drew him back to her. "Wait. Lee." She didn't know much about Admiral Cain, but from what she'd seen and heard, she ran a very, very tight ship so another chance to resolve things between her and Lee may never present itself. From the scuttlebutt she'd gleaned, Cain was gung ho on both regulations and sending her pilots on dangerous missions.

And who better to send on shit missions than the two top dogs from a rival ship?

Tugging Lee back down beside her, Kara moved closer, invading his personal space. "We don't have a lot of time here, but I think we both know there's something we have to take care of before we check into our new digs." Tilting her head up, she looked to see if Lee was on the same page.

Lee blew out a startled breath. Leave it to Kara to spring this on him at the last possible moment. She was right though. Their timetable, if they had one, had just been moved up. They never, ever got the timing right.

Giving himself over to the moment, he didn't answer. Instead he brought his hand up, cupping her face. Letting his fingers splay along the nape of her neck, he titled his head forward until his lips met hers.

Tentative at first, they grew demanding as Kara responded. Hauling her against him, his hands slid down her back, grasped the edge of her tanks and pulled them up until she leaned away and took over. Lee angled back, fingers going to his fly while he watched Kara pull the tanks over her head. Not taking his eyes off her, he worked the fastenings loose, shoving the pants down to his knees and sucked in a harsh breath when Kara reached over to pull them the rest of the way off. Time stood still as his eyes dropped to his shirt while his fingers frantically unbuttoned the buttons. Glancing up as he shrugged out of the sleeves, he stopped breathing.

Kara was naked and beautiful and moving toward him, getting up close and personal in the way he'd dreamed about. He froze and stared, holding the moment in his mind, burning it to memory. He paused with his shirt still dangling off one arm, mesmerized by the hungry look in her eyes.

Kara crawled up and over Lee on her hands and knees, smiling at the stunned look on his face. Settling her ass down on his thighs she grabbed his shirt and tugged it over his hand and let it fall to the floor. Reaching up she pulled the curtain closed, effectively cutting them off from everything else but each other.

When Lee raised his head, Kara met his lips with a hot, blazing kiss that scorched through her system. As he settled his head against the pillow, his hands cupped her face drawing her down and she slid forward, stretching out against him. Her stomach brushed over his cock and Lee moaned against her lips.

Her fingers wrapped around the length, caressing the silken skin, moving in time with the thrusts of her tongue along his. Lee shuddered under the onslaught of her lips and hands and pulled a gasp from Kara when his palms brushed lightly over her breasts before cupping and holding them in his hands. He relished their weight as his fingers kneaded the smooth skin, enjoying the fact that his touch had Kara squeezing his leg between her thighs.

Kara wanted to go slow, but knew it wasn't going to happen. She and Lee never did things the way she thought they would and this was no different. Her first choice wouldn't have been this, and if she were honest with herself, she would admit it would have been to keep avoiding whatever it was they had between them.

She shifted her hips, moving her leg to cover both his thighs. As she lifted up and took him inside, slowly sinking over his cock, she decided this was much better than her first choice, was almost thankful they were being transferred to the Pegasus. Almost.

Pausing after she was settled onto Lee, Kara held his eyes feeling like this one act; these next brief moments might be all she had to carry her through whatever happened after they transferred. She wanted to make it count, to mean something, as it might be the only chance they ever got to explore this thing that existed between them.

Leaning forward, her head lowered until her mouth was inches from his. She kept her hips still, savoring the feel of him as she gently contracted the inner muscles around his cock. The feeling was incredible and if Lee's groan was any indication, he felt it too.

Nipping at his lower lip, she gasped when his hands grabbed her thighs nudging her hips forward. She relented, moving slowly back and forth over his shaft with a controlled pace. Her gaze held his until his hands slid up her back and over her shoulders until the cupped her head. Mouths still only inches apart; Lee's fingers shot through her hair as he drew her head down to fuse his lips to hers.

Lee knew he wouldn't last long with her. He'd wanted her for too long and it had been ages since he'd been with anyone else. His impatience reared its head when she decided to take her time and move slowly…not that he wasn't enjoying it…but she already had him close to the edge. He was determined to make her as insane as she made him.

Tongue dueling with hers, he kissed her breathless as he met her rocking motions with gentle thrusts of his own. He felt Kara's thighs tighten against his torso as she picked up the pace, grinding harder against him. He slid closer to breaking and stilled his hips, hanging on by a thread.

Lee's fingers burned trails of heat along her skin as they skimmed over her ribcage until his hands could cup her breasts. His thumbs circling around her nipples had Kara gasping at the contact and with the next rocking motion she clenched tightly around his length, dragging a hoarse shout from him as he hit his own release.

Kara collapsed against him; her head on his chest and her rapid breathing soothed his hot skin. Lee had no desire to move, let alone pack his gear. Not when he'd just realized a long held dream.

When Kara started to slowly lift her head, his arms slid around her, keeping her still. "Stay for a minute." If this was the only time they had together…he was going to be selfish and hold on to it as long as possible.

Kara smiled against him. "Lee." She fisted her hand on his chest and propped her chin on it. "We have to go. Orders." Moving forward, she kissed him lightly on the lips and made to move again.

Lee shook his head. "Wait, Kara." He rolled them sideways, blocking her exit. "We can take a little time." Lee's hand tucked some hair behind her ear. "Please." His eyes met hers and held them.

She wanted to stay with him for a while. Badly. She just didn't see how they'd get away with bucking orders from the Commander AND the Admiral.

Kara opened her mouth to tell him they needed to move but noticed the gleam in Lee's eyes. "What? You've got something, don't you?" Lee was a smart man…she shouldn't have forgotten that.

With a grin, Lee remarked. "I think I can get Gaeta to delay the transfer orders by burying them for a couple of hours." When Kara's eyebrows rose upward in question, he explained. "He owes me a favor for letting him win at Triad to impress a certain petty officer that was sitting with us." As a broad smile lit Kara's face, Lee knew it was worth calling the favor in.

Rolling out of the bunk, he grabbed his boxers and stepped into them. "Don't move. I'll be right back." Kara's knowing smirk was all he got as an answer before he padded over to the comm phone to make his call.

FIN


	11. Chapter 11

Summary:

A little bit fill in, a little bit wishful thinking.

RESURRECTION SHIP 1

Lee was stunned.

He'd just come from a blistering set down with Admiral Cain where not only was he demoted, he was lectured on visiting with the prisoner's to be executed. Something about him being Adama's son and under no circumstances was he to have contact with the former Galactica crewmen again. Like he was going to do what? Break them out of a sealed brig?

That was more Starbuck's style. Or it used to be.

He sought her out after his meeting with Cain…after he was informed she was his new boss, which he found amusing. At first. Until he told her he'd been to see Tyrol and Helo and she glanced up and said 'that's good…now help me plan this op.' And that's it?

Lee stared at her with something close to incredulity. "You wanna just carry on?" Maybe being promoted had addled her brain… "As if nothing's happened?" This was Tyrol and Helo they were talking about.

Kara had a lot of information swimming in her head. She had a promise to keep and Cain offered to let her do it. Kara didn't have time to explain all that to Lee. Hell, she didn't want to explain it to him right now. And as bad as she felt about Lee's demotion, she wasn't about to tell him to the whole story there either.

He didn't need to know she'd tendered a demand to the Admiral so she could keep him on her team. It was the least she could do considering the whole Blackbird op had been his brainstorm. Better Cain didn't know about that or things could end up blowing up in her face.

She was walking a fine line and the walls were closing in.

First things first, "Lee, she's in command. What do you want to do?" Stupid question…she knew what he wanted to do…probably had a plan already worked out. "There's nothing we can do." Kara had to get them through this mission before she could even think about anything else.

Tyrol and Helo would have to wait until the op was over.

Again, Lee was stunned. Kara Thrace had gone rank and file military on him and his world just tilted on its axis. Help her plan the op?

He blinked then shook his head to clear it. "Who are you?" He folded his arms and shifted his position. "And where did you put Starbuck?" This wasn't the Kara he knew…the one who'd be leading the charge to get her friends out of being executed.

Kara tossed the pen down on the table then narrowed her eyes. "What the frak does that mean?" She leaned forward, waiting for an answer.

Taking a step toward her, Lee placed his hands on the table and leaned in. "The Kara Thrace I know would be more concerned that two of her shipmates were condemned to death than planning some stupid op." It had to be the Pegasus…maybe there was something in the recycled air that made people go insane.

This wasn't going the way she expected. Only Lee would pick now to go rogue. "What do you want from me?" She stayed seated but sat up straight in the chair.

Now that was a loaded question. What did he want from her? He knew he didn't want this Kara. The one who seemed to be a completely different person. Right now…he didn't recognize her…

Giving her a measured look Lee responded. "I don't want a damned thing…" He swallowed hard then added tersely. "Sir." Rolling his eyes he swung around to make his way to the door.

Kara knew he was getting a raw deal from Cain but her instincts told her the Admiral wouldn't budge on the decision to demote him.

Still, his attitude was pissing her off. "You're not dismissed yet," Wincing inwardly, she added, "Lieutenant." Yep…that got his attention.

Of all the things Kara expected, Lee bailing wasn't one of them. She really did need his help planning the op. More than that, she wanted it.

Lee stopped abruptly, pivoting around, his posture rigid. He made his way back to the table to stand in front of her staring at her with eyes hot with anger.

Ah gods, she hated this. There was so much to say and no time to say it. How did she tell him she'd left a piece of herself back on Caprica? That if they pulled this off she would be able to keep a promise she'd made?

How did she explain it was important to her to follow through because she'd given her word and for once she wanted to do it right? Had to do it right so she could prove to herself she could move forward while still keeping a promise.

The fact was, right now she didn't have the luxury of time and Lee needed to just deal with it. "Dammit, Lee. Cain's not going to back down from any of this. She's determined to carry off this mission." Glancing down at the table, her stomach churned with adrenaline and a healthy dose of fear.

Admiral Cain wasn't the old man…Kara wouldn't let herself forget that. "This op needs to be planned now and I've got a bunch of prima donnas to mix in with Galactica pilots and all of them were ready to shoot each other out of the sky not so long ago." She looked up from the charts and rosters to find Lee still staring angrily at her.

She raised her eyebrows giving him a pointed look. "I need to focus here." And she did or the rapidly closing walls were going to crush them both with their weight.

Kara wasn't telling him anything he didn't already know or that he hadn't dealt with before. Didn't stop him from feeling like she'd gone over to the enemy, which was stupid but how he felt anyway. He'd thought they were working toward something but her abrupt change in attitude had his head spinning.

He wasn't letting her off the hook. "Life's rough, huh?" As far as he was concerned she was on her own.

Oh…he was pushing it. Lee was going to be on board one way or another. She wanted him on her team dammit.

Standing up, Kara faced him across the table. "Look. Cain was rough on you. I get that." When he only flicked a glance at her like she completely missed the point, Kara realized what the problem was. "I'm not Cain, Lee. I can't do this alone."

Lee crossed his arms in front of him. "Really? Since when?" He said it sarcastically, but really wanted to know the answer. This might just be the Kara he knew.

Kara didn't hesitate when she answered. She leaned forward, inches away from Lee's face. "Since I came back home." And it was true. Since landing on the Astral Queen, even with the bumpy start, she realized she didn't need to do it all…alone.

Those words changed everything for Lee. Holding her gaze, he saw the honesty in her eyes. She had come home…to him. And ever since, the bond between them had grown, become stronger and solidified into…something…more than friendship.

He reacted to her admission by closing the gap between them, softly saying. "Why didn't you say so?" Then his lips caught hers in a tentative kiss that quickly turned heated when Kara fisted her hand in his shirt, pulling him deeper into the embrace.

The table between them was a hindrance but Kara solved it by shoving the charts and rosters out of the way and climbing up on it to wrap her arms around Lee. Her legs quickly followed, snaking around his waist while his hands busied themselves freeing her hair from her ponytail.

Plunging his fingers into the golden strands, Lee angled her head back so his lips could burn a trail down her throat. Cain, Helo, Tyrol, the mission, everything slid away as his mind focused on the woman before him. None of it mattered to him. This stolen time was the only thing he gave a damn about.

Kara gave up thoughts of the op. She needed this…needed Lee. His lips sliding over her skin was the only thing she wanted to wrap her brain around at the moment. Her fingers moved between them, quickly undoing the buttons of his shirt so they could feel the warm flesh underneath.

She moaned at the contact. "Gods, Lee." Not wanting to waste any more time, her hands moved to the fastenings of his pants working them loose so she could reach in to feel the length of him.

Clothes rapidly came undone. Lee's hands undid Kara's pants and she wriggled them off her hips while he freed his cock from his boxers. Kara kicked her clothes to the floor then she wrapped her legs around Lee again as his hands grasped her hips pulling her to the edge of the table and up against his erection.

Gasping her name, Lee's mouth found hers and as he lowered her back, his cock slid between her folds sinking deep. He pulled back from the kiss to savor the sensation then let himself be drawn back into the embrace as her legs tightened around him, heels digging into his ass.

Kara's hips met Lee's thrust for thrust. She wasn't interested in slow and easy. Fast and hard was how they needed this first time to be. Lee's lips moved up her throat, his hot breath in her ear and Kara let herself just feel the heat and friction between them. It built rapidly and all her pulse points were pounding with the heady feeling of having him inside her.

There was so much to do, so many changes, but Lee was always steady, strong and just…there. And right now he was moving against her, whispering her name and it was the only thing that mattered to her. It was her last coherent thought. Sliding her hands up Lee's back, Kara bit down on his shoulder to keep from shouting as the beginning thrum of her orgasm took her by surprise then blew through her system like wildfire.

Lee's focus was split between watching Kara writhe beneath him and the feelings ripping through his body as it burned with tension, tingling awareness coursing throughout. His desire to make it last warred with his need to carry them over the peak and beyond. Sweat broke out over his skin and his breath hitched in his throat as the exquisite sensation of having her soft walls wrapped around his cock drove him to edge of reason.

The sharp nip of her teeth on his skin drew a hoarse groan and her shattering climax pulled his own release out of him as he emptied himself buried deep inside. His head hit her shoulder as his vision blurred to a hazy gray and his brain exploded with satisfaction. The feel of Kara's tongue flicking over the mark she made added to the pleasure.

Once Kara could breathe again, her hands lifted Lee's head from her shoulder and she rose up to meet his lips in a kiss. She chuckled softly when Lee grabbed her tanks and pulled them gently over her head while her hands went to his shirt to button it back up.

With a soft grin she slid off the table, accepting the pants Lee handed over while he straightened his clothes and tucked his shirt back in. She slid her legs into them watching as he picked up the rosters and charts scattered on the floor.

Once they were on the table, she leaned against the edge and drew him to her leaving her hands on his hips. His quizzical look made her smile and she gave him a quick kiss because it did.

There was something she needed him to understand before they continued on. Holding his gaze, she began. "I'm playing Cain's game for now, Lee." Her hands slid up his back more for comfort than anything else. "I'm trying to make sure everybody wins, here." She'd tell him the rest of it…her promise to go back to Caprica and her reasons why later. Right now she wanted him to know she was still on everybody's side. Tyrol and Helo were okay for now…she'd find a way to keep them that way…hopefully with Lee's help.

Lee finally got it. This was still his Kara…she was just playing with the cards as they were dealt.

Cupping her face, he kissed her soundly then grinned. "Don't we have an op to plan?" He'd have her back no matter what happened.

FIN


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: Taking a little creative license with the actual story…

Summary: Lee and Kara have to assassinate Admiral Cain…they'll never make it out alive…

RESURRECTION SHIP 2

Lee stood with his arms wrapped around Kara, letting the realization of what they were going to do wash slowly over him. They'd just had 'the' conversation and he promised to have her back. And he would…regardless of whether he thought it was right to assassinate an Admiral or not.

An argument could be made that he'd held a gun to the head of a superior but he'd counter that his decision had been spur of the moment and not likely to result in the actual shooting of said officer. But this…this was cold-blooded, order or not. And of course, Kara would be loath to refuse since it was the old man who did the ordering. And Adama knew it. It wasn't lost on Lee he'd been dismissed before his father gave the order.

And Kara tried to give him an out. He'd scoffed at that…as if he'd ever let her go it alone on something like this. And what did she do? She thanked him. That alone, told Lee she wasn't as okay as she pretended to be with the order.

Even while his brain warred with itself, he drew her closer. The Pegasus was supposed to be their salvation. Instead it was their curse. Every single officer on board was armed while on duty…it was a requirement. They should be talking about options not standing together holding on for dear life.

But they wouldn't be discussing game plans…there were none. Neither would be coming back from this. They'd never make it out alive.

Stepping back, his gaze slowly met Kara's. The knowledge was there in her eyes. So was acceptance. She would give her life to end another.

And he would give his so she could.

Wrapped in that knowledge, Lee didn't speak. Moving his hands forward, he cupped Kara's face. Her gaze didn't waver from his as the moment stretched out between them. Slowly moving his hands to rest on her shoulders, Lee took comfort in hers resting on his hips. Neither spoke as their eyes held, saying things they'd never utter aloud.

_This is it._

Kara's hands slid forward to undo the buckle of the holster Lee wore and removed it, heavy with its side arm. Still looking levelly at him, she didn't blink when he followed suit. The sound of both weapons thudding softly to the floor was loud in the quiet space.

_No turning back._

Lee's fingers trailed lightly up Kara's arm before settling on the top most button of her uniform. He caught the gleam in her eye before she mimicked the motion. The breath hitched in his throat right before he slid the button loose from its slotted opening. The line was crossed, stepping back no longer an option.

_We're gonna do this. _

With her eyes flaring hotly, Kara took it as a challenge to get Lee's shirt undone first. She shoved the fabric off his shoulders just as he was undoing her last button. His eyes went dark and she shivered when the air hit her skin, his warm hands gliding over her back as she shrugged out of the sleeves.

_It won't be easy._

Lee knew it would be easier to get Kara out of her pants if he'd just look to see what he was doing. But he couldn't tear his gaze from hers. Lost in the smoldering heat, he didn't want to. So he struggled briefly but won out in the end and was finally able to ease the fabric past her hips letting gravity take care of the rest.

_Never is_.

Her pants hit the floor and Kara stepped out of them to stand nude in front of Lee. In a weird way she felt like he was seeing her for the very first time. The look of wonder on his face sent a warm flush through her body and her fingers trembled slightly as they reached forward to try once, twice to get his pants unfastened. Still holding her gaze, Lee stopped their progress and took over until he was as naked as she.

We don't have much time… 

Lee's fingers traced the lines of Kara's face before capturing her chin to tilt her head slightly. A sense of urgency hit him as he realized their time would be short. His head descended until their lips touched then meshed together hungrily. Kara's hands gripped his hips as they molded themselves together, sinking to their knees…need consuming them.

In a tangle of limbs they jockeyed for position ending up on their sides facing each other. Kara drew up a leg and wrapped it around Lee, drawing him closer as her lips scorched up his shoulder. Her hand followed the same path and giving him a small nudge, she pushed him back and angled on top of him.

With Kara's hips straddling him, her mouth moving over his skin, Lee knew neither of them would last. They didn't have the luxury of time on their side and it was his only regret. He wouldn't contemplate the rest…the mission, the order, the execution. His head rose to meet her lips at the same time she slid over his cock and everything but the feel of her slid away.

Wrecked with the knowledge they'd only have this one moment, Kara wanted to take her time. But she found she couldn't as her hips rocked back and forth of their own volition. Her lips never left Lee's skin as they traveled over his chest, along his shoulders, his jaw and finally back to his mouth.

Lee's hands glided over Kara's skin memorizing every curve, peak and valley. Fingers sliding along her spine, she had him gasping for air before her mouth closed over his, tongue thrusting inside stealing what was left of his sanity. The feel of her…warm, soft, fluidly moving against him…was beyond anything he'd ever experienced. His hands went to her head, golden strands cascading over them as her hair worked free of its holder.

Coming up for air, Kara was awed by the love she saw in the deep blue gaze staring up at her. She wanted to look away, didn't know if she could handle knowing what she knew now, but she couldn't do it. Her hips rocked harder as friction built, fueled by awareness and the steady thrum of the push and pull between them. The tension was almost too much and her head lowered, lips crashing against Lee's, as a slow throb started low in her belly and hummed along her nerve endings.

Lee felt the moment she shattered. Gasping against his mouth, she tossed her head back, riding out the orgasm her lips clamped together against making a sound. Face framed by a blonde halo, hips grinding hard, Lee thought she looked like a warrior goddess. Fierce and beautiful combined with wanton abandon. It was his last rational thought as she clenched tightly around his cock and he came, surging inside her, gasping her name on a strangled whisper as she collapsed against him.

With her heart pounding and Lee's arms around her, Kara tried to remember how to breathe. Her eyes slid shut and she thanked the gods for giving her one perfect moment. Then she railed at the fates that would take it all away in a few hours. Brushing her lips over Lee's skin, she lifted her head to stare down at him, wanting to burn his image in her mind.

Feeling Kara shift, Lee opened his eyes and sucked in a breath. The naked love on Kara's face sent his mind spinning. He couldn't remember ever feeling as content as he did at this moment. His gut clenched when he realized he'd never feel it again. Not ready to let go, his hands drew her to him for one last kiss.

Friendship, passion, love…goodbye. All were in the kiss as their lips moved, spoke, laid the truth open between them. They lingered together far longer than they should, but neither was ready to let go.

In the end, it was Kara who broke the spell, knowing they had to get moving or risk being caught. She pulled away reluctantly, gazing down at Lee again, wishing they had more time. Her eyes said what her voice couldn't speak.

_We gotta go._

As much as Lee wanted to hang on to the moment, he knew she was right. He'd give anything to fight back reality and stay with her until they were old and wrinkled. It made his heart hurt that he couldn't stop what was already in motion. Holding her gaze, he nodded his head, accepting the truth.

_I know._

Sitting up, he didn't let Kara slide off his lap like she wanted to. Instead he leaned and kissed her one more time, hard and fast, then let her go. Standing up, he snagged his clothes and dressed thinking of what lie ahead. There was one last possibility that could get them out of this madness. He could attempt to reason with his father, make him explain the order, maybe sway the odds back in their favor.

Kara dressed with care, mentally preparing to meet with Admiral Cain. She ruthlessly scraped her hair back into its ponytail, trying to convince herself she could meet with the woman she'd been ordered to kill and not give anything away. Doubt weighed heavily but when she turned Lee stood with his arms folded, frank approval on his face. She flashed him a smile and knew she'd be fine in front of Cain.

They stood toe to toe, not touching physically but wrapped in each other just the same. Turning together they made their way to the corridor, Lee to go catch a shuttle and Kara to play nice with Cain. Both had their heads in the game now, momentum propelling them onward. By unspoken agreement they went their separate ways but both turned back to look at each other one last time.

Lee nodded almost imperceptibly.

_You know I love you right?_

Kara winked back at him.

_Right. Love you, too._

FIN


	13. Chapter 13

Date Written: March 2, 2007

EPIPHANIES

Kara sat reading the after action report from the Dara Mozu explosion. Another close call…bodies flying out of the blast area while the Raptor just managed to clear the area. Did Lee even bother to mention it? Nope. Just wrote down the facts and left. A week ago.

Yeah…something was really off with him.

Her pen tapped the pages of the report as Kara pondered how distant he'd been. She wasn't kidding when she said she hadn't seen him around much since his space walk. And truth be told…she hadn't made much effort to hunt him down. She wondered if anyone had as guilt started closing in on her.

He'd stunned her with his admission of not wanting to come back after ejecting from the Blackbird. Rock solid, Lee Adama wishing for death? Boggled the mind. And she didn't know how to deal with it. So…she hadn't been there for him. Not really.

He'd thrown her for a complete loop and she had no idea what to say. After all, she was the one who was supposed to skirt the boundaries and pull it out of the fire. Not Lee. Lee was the one who played by the rules. And in her, albeit loosely defined, playbook Lee wasn't allowed to do things like give up and not want to come home.

He was supposed to bounce back and be the same guy she'd known longer than Helo. Not disengage from life and crawl inside his head to hide away from everyone who cared about him. But that's what he was doing.

And it was time for it to stop.

Tossing the pen on the report, she pushed away from the table to stand. Shoving her fingers through her hair, she raked it back from her face to secure it with a holder. She was the last person anyone would peg as shrink material…but Lee was her friend, hell he'd been her confessor more than a few times…and she _would_ be there for him.

She could do that, right? Snap him out of whatever funk he was in and help him deal with the fallout. Sucking in a deep breath, she let it out again. So why did she feel like she was flying blind?

Because this mattered…Lee mattered. And frankly, if it wasn't behind the stick of a Viper or raking it in at the Triad table…Kara herself would tell you not to count on her for the heavy stuff. So if she frakked things up…or couldn't reach Lee, she had a feeling he'd make anything she ever pulled look amateurish in scope.

Filling her lungs with more air, she blew it out and left the Sit Room. Racetrack mentioned Lee was up on early CAP so Kara would hit the bunkroom, maybe he'd still be up and they could have a long overdue conversation.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Lee's head thrashed on the pillow while the dark, deadly images roamed through his dreams. He felt the pull, could hear it calling to him. Even in sleep, his eyes twitched as the explosions rocked his brain. They were going off all around him and even though he couldn't hear them, his body involuntarily reacted as if he could. Flinching against the bright reverberations it was a relief when they smoothed into the metallic lines of the Raptor where they'd brought him back from the brink of death.

He felt hot, a fine sheen of sweat glistening on his skin, his head stilled for a second. Then…he was back in the Raptor on its way to the Dara Mozu and…in that split second…the one finite moment with the voice broadcasting its 'Demand Peace' message, he knew…knew…what would happen. Shouting orders on instinct they'd barely managed to get out of range, but they'd made it. And yet a part of him couldn't shake feeling like he shouldn't be alive.

Didn't want to be alive.

Breathing harshly against the constricted feeling in his chest, he struggled to fight back the despair that haunted him. Why fight anymore? It wasn't worth it? Shaking with denial, still sleeping fitfully, his mind reached out, trying to hold onto something before the darkness swallowed him.

Then he was back in the ejection seat, death a certainty and this time he welcomed it. But the faces flashed and he couldn't stop them. His father's, the president's…both wanting something he didn't think he could give them. Their disappointment hovered there…waiting to suck him in and he couldn't face it. Deal with it.

And then it was Kara's face and he knew she would die. He wasn't there with her, couldn't have her back and she wouldn't survive what she had to do. The pain of it grabbed him, clawed at him until he didn't care any more…words of apology on his lips.

In the dream he saw her…raise the weapon, pull the trigger, aim sure and true. And then, clear as the blinding explosions had been, he saw her fall. Watched the jolting of her body as multiple bullets took her down while he screamed her name in his head. "KARA!"

He couldn't breathe. The air wouldn't fill his lungs because that same image kept running over and over. It wouldn't stop and his body jerked each time it replayed. He couldn't stand it, the pain of seeing her go down. And he could feel the hands of death grasping at him, calling him, saying his name…

"LEE!" Kara shook him again. He was scaring her, trapped in a nightmare, unable to fight his way out. She knew the agony, had experienced it more times than she wanted to remember. And Lee's issues were bigger than she'd imagined.

She cupped his face in her hands to still the thrashing of his head. "Lee. Wake up." Kara's voice was pitched low, her tone calm and soothing. "It's a dream. Lee." Her thumbs stroked his cheeks while she repeated the same words once, twice more before he jerked awake.

Unfocused eyes darted back and forth, while the last remnants of whatever unknown horror he'd been in fought to hang on. When his gaze finally settled on her face, she breathed with relief.

Gone were the stormy, terror filled eyes. In their place, startled but clear blue stared up at her. "Hey, welcome back." Kara moved one of her hands down to lace her fingers with his. They were like ice even though his skin was slick with sweat.

Lee never had nightmares…but he'd had this one every night since the close call last week. Couldn't seem to shake it. Blinking, he felt a shudder go through him while his mind sorted it all out. _Kara_. _Dream_. _She wasn't dead…she was okay_. Sitting there holding his hand, her thumb making soothing strokes over his palm.

Blinking again, he looked up at her, saw the understanding etched over her features and realized he felt…warm. The bone deep chill that usually settled in after the nightmare wasn't there this time. Hell…who was he kidding, it wasn't just the nightmare, he'd been enveloped in cold since ejecting from the Blackbird. It dogged his every step, hovering in the shadows, making him doubt he should be alive.

And it was gone. Because of Kara.

Fully awake now, Lee's fingers wrapped around the hand that held his and he met her gaze. Heard his sigh of relief, saw her tentative smile, and didn't stop to think about his next action. Sliding his free hand to the back of her neck, he lifted his head kissing her with passion, raw and unchecked. Partially because seeing her chased the shadows from his mind, but mainly because it was something he wanted. Maybe even needed.

Because…Kara was his sun. Burning hot…shining bright and he wasn't going to fight it anymore. Keeping her at arm's length hadn't stopped him from seeing her go down in his nightmares. Over and over again. The only thing it seemed to be doing was slowly killing him. And he almost realized it too late.

Kara was surprised by the kiss, but damned if she was going to argue about it. No longer wrapped up in his nightmare, he was reaching out to her. It wasn't how she expected it, but oh…this…this she could do.

Right now, he needed her and if it was only this one time, she could live with that. Yet somewhere…in a place she wasn't really comfortable going to…she sort of hoped it wouldn't be just once. And not wanting to examine where the hell that thought came from, she stopped thinking and focused on assisting with Lee's efforts to get her tanks over her head and out of the way.

Shirts off, she nudged Lee's hip with her knee, letting him know she wanted to join him. Her lips met his again as he slid over so she could fold herself in along his side. They needed to make this more private, so she reached behind her and drew the curtains shut, effectively closing out everything and everyone else. The temperature in the closed berth kicked up a notch as the final barriers of clothing were removed and nothing else separated them.

Skin to skin, Lee's hands skimmed down Kara's sides to settle around her waist. Gazing at her, he looked for any indication she wasn't ready for this. Seeing none, his lips hit hers again and he breathed even easier knowing Kara wanted him as much as he did her.

Hauling her on top of him, Lee didn't hold anything back. He poured everything he couldn't seem to say into actions instead. His lips ghosted across her throat, stopping so he could nip at her shoulder as Kara sat up, her palms braced on his chest. Finally his tongue traced a circle around her nipple before his lips closed over the peak, drawing it into his mouth.

Lee's teeth teased over the sensitive tip and Kara gasped at the sensation. Her back arched tipping her breasts forward while her hips slid down her clit bumping against the tip of his cock. Moaning at the contact, she rocked back and forth, wet with anticipation. Shifting slightly, she moved back, slowly grinding along the length of his erection watching Lee's head fell back against the pillow with a low groan.

Gazing down at him with a sultry smile, Kara lifted up and quickly sank over him…not taking the time to savor it. She was too far gone to go slow. With quick motions she rocked her hips, meeting Lee's mouth in a kiss hot enough to singe the steel of a Viper. Sliding her tongue between his lips, Kara felt the heat that arced between them and knew without a doubt this wouldn't be the last time for them.

He'd never get enough of her. It was the running thought going through Lee's head as the breath caught in his throat at the feel of her wrapped around him. The exquisiteness of Kara moving over him, her tongue dueling with his was almost more than he could bear…and he never wanted it to end.

Moving with her, he felt the ebb and flow of the building friction as it drew him in like a vortex. His control hanging by a thread, his fingers tangled in her hair, dislodging the rest of it from its holder. As the strands hit his skin like a caress, he pitched his hips upward sending Kara over the edge as she broke with a shuddering orgasm.

Lee followed right behind her, his release like a blinding light exploding in his head. He barely registered Kara collapsing on top of his chest…just wrapped his arms around her until instinct kicked in and he remembered how to breathe.

After tonight Lee didn't think he'd ever be cold again. Kara chased the haunting shadows away like a raging sun storm. He could get used to her sprawled on top of him, boneless and spent from the exertion of making love. And damn if he wasn't content to have her head resting right over his heart.

He felt complete…something he'd never experienced feeling before now.

But as much as he wanted to stay lost in the moment, he knew he needed to talk to her. Tell her everything and hope she'd understand. If she turned away from him, he'd survive…but he'd be less than he was…even more so now.

Running his hand lightly over her back, Lee whispered her name. "Kara…" When she stirred, lifting her head to meet his eyes, he tried to find the words. "I…" Gazing at her, knowing what she meant to him, he didn't know where to even start.

Kara sympathized with Lee's difficulty. She'd never had anyone to listen after a nightmare and being able to voice the fear was something he needed to do. Knowing Lee, it wasn't going to be easy to hear and she knew instinctively his nightmare involved her somehow. But being with him had given her an epiphany of sorts and she didn't just want to be supportive, she needed him to lean on her.

Still holding his gaze, Kara maneuvered sideways and settled on the bed next to Lee. Searching out and finding his hand, she laced their fingers together then pulled herself snug against him.

Speaking softly, in the hopes of giving him an opening, she stated. "Let's start with the dream…" Giving his fingers a gentle squeeze, she added. "…then we can go on from there."

FIN


	14. Chapter 14

Title: Snippets in Time – Black Market

Author: Monti

Date: December 5, 2007

Rating: M

Word Count: 2706

Category: AU/PWP

Pairing: Lee/Kara

Warnings: Uh…smut, smut and more smut

Spoilers: Loose references to first and second season episodes and deleted scenes…

Disclaimer: Just gently (well…mostly) using these characters. They don't belong to me.

Summary: Random scenarios from random episodes

Author's Notes: These will be stand-alone stories. The only thing they'll have in common is the title.

Author's Additional Note: This was a tricky one…hence the six-month lead time to finally finish it.

BLACK MARKET

Lee awoke with a start…he'd been doing that a lot lately. Even sleeping in a different bed didn't help. Just couldn't seem to get away from it.

He supposed it was inevitable. After ejecting from the Blackbird and drifting in space while a battle raged around him, Lee assumed his life was over. Accepted it.

Hell…even welcomed it.

Because while he'd floated in the darkness…all the ghosts of his past crashed head on with the demons of the present…and Lee didn't think life was worth fighting for anymore. His only regret was not being around to have Kara's back. The rest…his past mistakes and his current disappointments…he could happily let them go.

And he thought he did.

Except they'd brought him back. And now he was stuck trying to live an existence that didn't feel like it fit anymore. Living with memories he didn't want that made him face things about himself he couldn't. He felt out of sync and didn't seem capable of falling back into step with the rest of humanity.

Feeling alone, isolated and uncomfortable in his own skin, Lee went in search of something to focus his attention on…anything that didn't involve being in his head…alone with his thoughts. He wanted, no needed, something simple and uncomplicated.

And he thought he'd found it.

Yawning, he rolled to his side and bumped up against the warmth of someone else. His beautiful blonde…the one who chased the shadows away. With a smile, his hand drifted up her bare thigh before sliding over her hip to pull her snug against him. She didn't resist…in fact she sighed contentedly and burrowed closer to him. His eyes slid closed while he pondered how he ended up sharing her bed.

He'd been off since his rescue. Withdrawn, aloof. He knew people were worried. But he couldn't…wouldn't let himself connect. He did his job, got things done, followed orders…and that was all. He didn't trust anyone, including himself. They'd let him down…but worse than that…the part he struggled with the most…was the knowledge that he wasn't any better.

It was eating him up inside. When he could muster up enough emotion to give a damn.

The vaguely dissatisfied feeling was what pushed him to seek refuge…somewhere away from Galactica. He didn't want to reach out to anyone, but needed some kind of outlet. What was better than a nameless face, nothing to live up to, and being with someone who couldn't possibly let him down?

Except that wasn't the way it worked out.

After the first awkward meeting where he didn't have a clue how things worked, Lee learned the lay of the land quickly enough. His money was her time and he could use it however he wanted. He knew that usually meant slaking his lust with a willing body and he did that…but he also unloaded his burden on someone who didn't have a choice but to listen. Past demons, his father, the President…Kara…everything that weighed him down…all spilled out.

And that was where and how things went wrong.

By the time the dust had settled, Lee saw just how murky his reality had become.

The tangled mess that arose from his involvement with Shevon and investigating the black market had shown him the ugly truth. There were times when something bad needed to exist because of the good that could come from it. And there were circumstances where one individual was so damaging, so morally corrupt that their very existence was detrimental to the survival of the human race. Lee kind of wished he hadn't seen or experienced that firsthand.

But he had.

Phelan was right about one thing, though. By standing in the mud…Lee was as dirty as the next guy. No one was squeaky clean anymore. Nobody.

Standing in the Raptor, Lee watched Paya's open-mouthed awe as the child stared intently out the window. Amazed at her resilience, she seemed to have bounced back from the last few days relatively unscathed. He hoped the arrangements he'd made for Shevon and her daughter were part of the something good. They were headed to the Rising Star where Shevon would oversee helping other families in the same situation as hers.

When they landed, Shevon held Paya's hand along with the girl's small overnight bag containing her medication while flashing Lee a grateful smile. "Go to her, Lee." She paused while Paya tugged at her so they could leave. "Give her a chance to fill the empty spots." Leaning forward she kissed his cheek. "What more do you have to lose?" Turning, she let her excited daughter lead her toward the porter who waited to show them to quarters.

Lee realized Shevon was both right and wrong. He didn't have anything else to lose. His ideals were gone. By killing Phelan, he'd compromised himself to the point he had no room to judge others. The President, his father, Kara. Things weren't as black and white as they used to be.

If nothing else, getting to the bottom of the black market showed him that. Just how compromised they all were. Every last one of them.

He got it now. He really did.

And oddly, he could live with it…maybe more so now after everything else that had happened.

The part he wasn't sure he could live with was telling Kara. Everything. Because it went way back…to before the attacks. And he might understand where she was coming from now…the guilt she had over Zak…but he didn't think she'd understand where his head was then. And he was selfish enough to know he couldn't survive the loss of her.

But it wasn't fair to hold back. And it was Kara…if anyone understood screwing up so badly it was hard to live in your own skin, she did.

So he took Shevon's advice and tracked Kara down. She was catching some rack time, but her curtain was open so he nudged her awake and asked if she was still willing to listen. He had a story he needed to tell. When she'd slid over giving him space, he crawled up into the bunk and sat at the opposite end facing her. Kara closed out the bunkroom and settled back to hear what he had to say.

And just like she'd once confessed her sins to him, he laid out all his transgressions for her. Every last one of them. He told her about Gianne and not being ready for fatherhood. He explained how he gave up. Purposefully let his oxygen run out because he didn't think it was worth it to live in a world where murder was the way to deal with a superior officer. How his only regret was letting her down and not having her back.

Lee didn't leave anything out. He told Kara how he felt disconnected and sought something simple and uncomplicated with Shevon…human contact and physical release and how it blew up in his face. How tracking down the leader of the black market finally made him understand where his father and Roslin were coming from with Cain.

And he told her about pulling the trigger.

When he finished he waited for her to say something. To tell him to get away from her. He was shocked when after looking at him thoughtfully for a few moments she finally spoke.

"Feel better now?"

He was a little stunned. He'd just confessed to killing a man in cold blood and he got 'did he feel better' from her? That was it?

"You don't hate me?" Her lack of reaction was more than he'd hoped for and frankly, confusing as hell.

Sighing softly, Kara replied. "Confession's not about making people hate, Lee." How could she explain this to him? "It's about catharsis. So you can live with the wrong you've done." Tilting her head she watched him absorb what she said. "Did you hate me when I told you about Zak? Did you walk away?" She sat up and drew her feet under her legs crossways.

She had him there…he didn't hate her for Zak…but she'd made her confession on the day their worlds ended…there was a difference, wasn't there? And he had walked away…well…technically ejected…but it was the same thing.

When he opened his mouth to say so, she shook her head. "You've never let me down."

Lee looked away from her. "I wasn't there for you." He cringed at the unpleasant sound she made at that statement.

"Turns out you didn't have to be. The old man called off the mission, remember?" Leaning forward, she pinned him with her gaze. "You're willing to frak your personal ethics, leave em behind and that's not enough? I'm supposed to be pissed you almost died and weren't there? Gods, Lee." She leaned back in frustration, letting her eyes drop to her lap.

"Kara, I—" He what? Lee didn't know anymore. Why did it have to be so hard?

Kara could see his confusion…knew exactly what he felt like. It sucked when life kicked you in the teeth…made you lose hope…hell it made you lose who you were sometimes. Scrambling across the bed, she crawled over his legs and settled down on his lap. With her face inches from his, she tried to show him it was okay.

Grabbing his hands in hers, she tried explaining it. "Look, Lee. I get it. I really do." She waited until she had his eyes before going on. "We all have shit we drag around. Mistakes. Screw-ups. Crap we're not proud of." Her lips quirked up briefly but she quickly got serious again. "It's easy to do the right thing…what's hard is living with the wrong. Do you get that?" Again, she waited…holding his gaze before letting go and moving her hands up to cup his face. "Tell me you get that now."

He thought maybe he did. And he hadn't lost everything…he might have even gained something. Kara understood how shattered he'd been…knew the price he'd paid…and how hard it was for him to live with it. For the first time in ages he felt like he was back on even footing and that he wouldn't splinter apart at the slightest provocation.

Bringing his hands up, he covered hers tugging them down to rest on her lap. "I get it." Tilting forward, he gently bumped his forehead against hers. "Thanks." When he would have pulled all the way back, Kara surprised him by edging closer to mesh her lips with his.

Not what he expected…but definitely welcomed. And since he was being totally honest here…needed. She infused him with an energy that felt healing and he marveled at its intensity.

Unwilling to stop the flow of kisses that melted from one into the next, Lee slid his hands from hers, reaching around to draw her closer. Settling her more comfortably against him, he scooted them both down until they lay flat on the bunk. Neither was in a hurry, lips traveling slow and lazy over newly exposed skin…their peeled off clothing removing the layers that separated them until there was nothing but a sliver of air between.

As Kara's hands smoothed over his flesh, Lee molded her even closer letting his own fingers explore her skin. It shouldn't feel so good, should it? Being with Kara. It felt right…true. He hadn't felt that way about anything for so long it was almost foreign to him. Took him a moment to recognize it for what it was.

Hope.

That he'd be okay. _He would_.

Joy.

That Kara understood. _She did_.

And love.

Maybe the forever kind and maybe not…but it was there, nonetheless. In her touch as her fingers teased along the length of his cock. In her eyes, growing dark with passion as she gazed at him. In her lips stoking the heat between them, burning a fire-hot trail along his jaw before landing back on his, pulling him out of his reverie.

Putting his focus where it belonged, Lee didn't hold his feelings in check. Instead he let them out, let them flow freely as lips and hands caressed and stroked building up a pleasurable friction. Lee thought he could happily spend the rest of his life just touching Kara like this. About the time that notion hit, she maneuvered on top of him sliding herself over his cock to start a gentle rocking motion and Lee decided a lifetime wouldn't be long enough. They'd need at least two…three to be safe.

Lifting his head, he captured the tip of her breast between his lips tugging the nipple under his tongue until Kara gasped at the sensation. Skimming his hands up her back, he switched sides this time biting gently before sucking the peak, feeling Kara's hips move rapidly as she moaned his name.

Her head pitched forward and she nipped at his shoulder, grinding still faster and harder, fingers digging into his biceps with purchase. She changed up the pace, adding a slight twist of her hips to the hurried rhythmic rocking motion. Lee did his part to help by raising his ass off the bunk, going deeper, which earned him a shuddering groan from Kara.

Tossing her head back, her breaths rasped out in short little bursts synchronized with the back and forth action of her movements. Lee's hips dipped then pushed upwards and gods it felt good…better than good…it was indescribable. He did it again, relishing the feel of Kara clenching around him, savoring the sense of going deeper, catapulting closer to the stratosphere with every plunge and thrust.

Skirting very close to edge of his control, Lee gasped Kara's name, asking with his eyes if she was ready to let go. Giving him a jerky nod, she bucked her hips one last time then shattered, coming hard, her mouth working silently as she held back a loud moan. Grasping her pelvic bone with both hands, Lee followed right behind careening over the edge with a harsh breath, nearly strangling on the pleasure exploding through his system.

Satiated and spent, when Kara collapsed on top of him, he didn't think life could be any better. Considering the darkness he'd been living in, it was a good feeling. Even better was Kara sliding off him in a boneless heap but staying close, tucking her head under his chin before she reached to pull the coverlet over them. Lee had a sneaking suspicion that three lifetimes still wouldn't be enough time to explore everything he felt for her. His last thought before drifting toward sleep was that maybe they should shoot for four.

When he jerked awake a couple hours later, it didn't surprise him. Not really. It didn't matter where he slept, time would be the balm that eventually faded the damaged scar. At least it was scabbed over and he didn't feel the oppressive weight that urged him to shut everything out anymore.

Yawning, he rolled to his side and bumped up against the warmth of Kara. His beautiful blonde…the one who chased the shadows away. With a smile, his hand drifted up her bare thigh before sliding over her hip to pull her snug against him. She didn't resist…in fact she sighed contentedly and burrowed closer to him.

His eyes slid closed while he pondered how he ended up sharing her bunk, but Kara had other ideas as her lips ghosted over skin. He grinned then grasped her chin, tilting it upwards to brush his lips over hers.

Kara smiled but looked at him in question. "You okay?" When he whispered that he was good, she nodded then let her hands roam freely over his body.

Giving him a push backwards, she shifted her position to straddle his torso again…kissing her way from his shoulder to his chin before hitting his mouth for a meltingly hot embrace that had him primed and ready to go. "You up for round two?" Like she couldn't already feel the answer to that question.

Lee's response was to growl low in his throat and flip their positions pulling a sultry laugh from Kara. As his mouth hit hers, his tongue seeking entrance to duel enticingly with hers his last coherent thought was five…

FIN


End file.
